


A Rival Like You...

by Abnormal_walrus



Category: Owari no Seraph, ons, seraph of the end, sote - Fandom, 終わりのセラフ
Genre: Angst, Fame, Famous, Fanfiction, Fluff, Friendship, Gay, Hate, Idol AU, Idols, Love, M/M, Mika - Freeform, Mika is a pianist, Mika is very mysterious, Mikaela - Freeform, Modern AU, Multi, Music, Mystery, Piano, Rivalry, Romance, Scapegoat, Shinoa - Freeform, Shinoa is Yuu's costume designer, Suspicion, There's no swearing, They're idols so they wear costumes, They're in highscool, Traveling, Vampires, Yuichiro - Freeform, Yuu - Freeform, Yuu X Diet Coke, Yuu is very close with Shinoa, he grew up with her, relationships, xu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-10-28 19:49:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10838196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abnormal_walrus/pseuds/Abnormal_walrus
Summary: Yuichiro Amane and Mikaela Shindo are both very famous idols in Japan. Though the two have never met in person, Yuichiro has a burning hatred toward Mikaela due to their rivalry as idols. However, on a particular rainy night, the two idols run into each other and Yuichiro learns that his rival is not as bad as he thought.As the two boys get to know each other, Yuichiro can't help but notice many suspicious things about Mikaela. Not wanting to confront him, Yuichiro tries to figure it out on his own, but ends up falling for the blue eyed rival and forgetting the suspicion. However, at a certain concert on a certain night, something happens between the two idols that will change their relationship forever.





	1. At First Glance...

Yuichiro Amane flopped backwards in his studio chair. He stared up at the white ceiling with his emerald eyes, letting out a loud sigh as he rested his gloved hand upon his forehead. The teenage boy was an idol at a small competition in the Shibuya area. He had been in the idol business for a few months now, and was already one of the biggest stars in all of Japan. The small competition was for only the most famous and successful of idols. The only idol who stood in the way of Yuichiro being the most famous in Japan, was a perfect blond by the name of Mikaela Shindo.

Mikaela Shindo had been in the idol business for only a year, and was the most famous young idol in the whole country. He had platinum blond hair and diamond blue eyes. According to his fans, there was something about him that was inhuman; but Yuichiro called bull crap on it. The black haired idol believed that the blond's fans only said that because Mikaela ALWAYS wore vampire fangs to impress his fangirls or something. 

The blond idol was Yuu's biggest rival and enemy. Yuu hated the opposing idol more than anything, and wanted so desperately to beat him. Ever since the forest green eyed boy had become as famous as he was, he had never managed to beat Mikaela in any kind of competition. However, Yuu was very determined to change that. He wanted to be the best idol, taking Mikaela's place and shoving him to the dirt, where Yuu believed the opposing idol belonged.

"Yuu-san,"

A feminine voice pulled the selfish idol out of his thoughts. He then sat upright and looked over to the door. Standing in the doorway of his backstage dressing room was a short girl by the name of Shinoa Hiragi. Shinoa was Yuu's sister figure and his costume designer. "What is it?" He asked. "Shindo-San has just finished up on stage, so you need to be ready to get out there in three minutes." She announced, in which Yuu nodded in response. The ashen haired girl then exited the room and closed the door behind her. Yuichiro then looked back to himself in the mirror, making sure he looked perfect to go on stage. As soon as he touched up his messy hair, he got up from his seat and made his way out to the hall and toward the stage.

A loud roar was heard as soon as the raven haired idol stepped onto the stage. The loud screaming and cheering of the audience did nothing but encourage and raise the boy's spirits. The cheering continued as the teen walked toward the center of the stage, his long jacket flowing behind him with every step. 

As soon as he reached the center of the stage, he turned to face the audience, and the lights suddenly went out. The crowd then shouted even louder as they were overcome with the familiar excitement of the lights going out before an amazing performance. Not long after, the music started and the lights flashed back on, revealing a smiling and cheery idol on the stage. The crowd yelled in excitement once more before almost immediately calming down to listen to the flawless boy to sing.

Yuu's performance was almost mesmerizing, the way he sang into the microphone with his soothing voice and danced across the stage. It was a performance any idol wished they could have. With all sorts of colorful laser-like lights flashing around him as he sang, it was truly unforgettable. Yuu could feel the passion boiling in the pit of him, and he knew that this was going to be the competition where he finally defeated his rival.

"And the 1st place winner of this competition is no other than Mikaela Shindo!"

The crowd exploded in a loud cheer as Yuichiro and Mikaela stood across the stage from each other. Yuichiro was immediately enraged upon hearing those all too familiar words. Those words that he would hear at every single competition. This was the closest Yuu had ever been to his rival though, usually he only saw the blond on the screen or in the crowd. Being this close to Mikaela though... Yuu wanted nothing more than to march across the stage, punch that stupid wannabe vampire in the face, and take the 1st place trophy. 

The green eyed, second placed idol, grit his teeth as he forced a smile at the audience, before he dragged himself off the stage. He then stomped down the hallway and threw open the door to his dressing room, where Shinoa was sitting in front of the mirror reading a magazine.

"Second place?" She spoke as the boiling teen slammed the door behind him. "That stupid piece of crap! What could that elephant faced wannabe vampire have that I don't?!" Yuu shouted, grabbing his casual clothing from a bag, and going behind the curtain to change. Shinoa let out a breathless laugh as she set the magazine down. "You know Yuu-san, I bet you could learn a thing or two from him." She mentioned, walking over and standing in front of the curtain. "Don't you dare talk to me like he's better." He scolded from the other side. The brown eyed girl blinked, then let out a sigh. "Come on, Yuu-san! You've never even met Mikaela-san. How could you hate him so much when you don't know him?" The girl asked as the angry idol opened the curtain and stomped passed her, shoving his costume into his backpack. "Shinoa, how would you expect someone like him to act? He's a stuck up and rich snob. He's probably laughing and telling the audience how he thinks he's better than me." Yuichiro's sharp voice pierced through the short girl. The ashen haired female just let out another sigh in response.

 

"I'm going to head home now, Yuu-san. There's supposed to be a huge rainstorm that's going to hit in an hour or so, and I don't wanna get caught in it." Shinoa announced, grabbing her purse off a table and walking to the exit of the dressing room. It had been about two hours since the competition ended, and the building was pretty much empty, aside from people who were cleaning. "Alright," Yuu replied, staring down at his phone as he waved her off. "Are you going to stay here?" She then asked. "Yeah, just for a little longer." He answered. "Okay... Well then don't blame me when you have to walk home in the pounding rain." Shinoa giggled, closing the door to the room and walking down the hall to exit the building. 

A while after Shinoa left, Yuu looked over to where she had been sitting in front of the mirror, seeing that she left the magazine. The young idol then stood up from his spot on the sofa and took a seat in front of the mirror, grabbing the magazine. On the cover of the magazine was no other than the "Oh so perfect" Mikaela Shindo. The photo was of him in a black outfit with black feathers and a black hat. He was holding his hand out to the camera, while holding a microphone to his mouth with his other hand. Yuu eyed the picture for quite some time, trying to find a flaw on the rival. However, Yuu found not a single thing that was less than beautiful with the blue eyed teen, so Yuu blamed it on photoshop. 

The onyx haired idol then grinned mischievously as a pathetic idea popped into his head. He looked up at the vanity, grabbing a black marker off it and using it to draw facial hair and devil horns on the rival. As soon as he finished his masterpiece, he held the magazine away from his face, giving him a better look at his artwork. Mikaela now looked like a scary old man with dreadlocks, horns, and a weird looking tail. Yuu smirked in satisfaction, tearing the photo out of the booklet and shoving it into a random pocket of his backpack. As soon as this was done, a loud and ear piercing crash was heard from outside. It was thunder.

Following the loud crack of thunder was the loud pounding of rain, slamming against the building that Yuu was in. He blinked his green eyes before looking at the time. It was about 2:00 AM, thirty minutes after Shinoa had left. The idol then let out a sigh, deciding that it was time he should head home. Yuu stood up from his seat, zipping up his jacket and swinging his backpack over his shoulder. He then walked to the door and exited the dressing room.

The moment he closed the dressing room door behind him, he was met with complete darkness. The only light in the long hallway was the flashes of lighting that shined through the small windows. The scene was very eerie, almost like something you'd see right out of a horror movie, but that didn't bother the teen whatsoever. The black haired boy then started walking down the long corridor toward the exit in the distance. The rain was so loud that he couldn't even hear his own footsteps on the hard ground. Being in an empty building in the dark with a huge storm outside was actually quite unsettling, but Yuu paid no mind to it. The only thing on his mind was getting home and taking a bath.

As soon as Yuichiro reached the exit, he placed his hand on the handle to open the door, when he suddenly had a childish thought. The building was surely empty by now, at this hour. So Yuu had the idea of going and turning on all the lights on the stage, then just running around and dancing like the idiot he was at heart. He then took his frail hand off the door, and immediately started jogging back down the hallway to where the stage was located. As the distance between him and the door to the stage closed, he slowed in his stride and eventually came to a halt just outside the door. Through the door window, Yuu could see that a few of the stage lights were already on. He paused, wondering how anyone else could possibly be in this building this late in the night. The onyx haired teen slowly raised his hand to put it on the handle of the door, when he heard a noise. It took him a bit, but he suddenly realized that the noise was a piano. Behind the curtains of the stage was a grand piano, and Yuu swore he could just barely hear it over the pounding rain outside.

The song being played on the instrument was a beautiful piece. A piece that made Yuu press his ear against the wooden door, trying to get a better listen. It was a song he did not recognize, but that didn't change the fact that it was beautiful. The tune sounded too perfect to be real, and for a second, Yuu couldn't figure out if he could actually hear a song, or if he was losing his mind. It sounded inhuman, like a song that was just too amazing to exist among humanity. It could be as if there was an angel on the other side of that door, sitting at the piano and playing this tune that Yuu had so easily fallen in love with. He just wanted to stand there and listen for as long as he could, it was like he was in a whole other world. He wanted to know who was responsible for this song, but he couldn't even see the piano from the view of the door window. Yuu then slowly began turning the handle, but immediately stopped upon a gross thought.

Attending a public high school, he had heard all the ridiculous stories of the ghost who played the piano in the music room at night, then would punish you if you were to walk in on them. Usually, the idol wouldn't let such a story get to him, but now he thought. That song sounded way too beautiful to belong to anyone human, so what if there really was a ghost or some sort of creature behind that door? Something that was just waiting for Yuu to walk in so that it could attack him. Yuichiro gulped, pulling his hand away from the handle. As soon as he did so, he heard loud footsteps coming from the stage. Footsteps that were quickly walking toward the door that Yuu stood behind. The boy's emerald eyes went wide as he panicked, grabbing his backpack off the floor and sprinting down the hallway.

The idol ran as fast as he could toward the exit, not wanting whatever creature to see him and get him. As soon as he reached the glass doors to leave, he threw himself against them, in which they opened and he fell onto the hard and wet concrete. Not paying any attention to his fall, Yuu stood up and kept sprinting until he reached the gate, where he hid around the corner. Once he was on the other side of the gate, where he was sure whatever was in there couldn't see him, he practically collapsed against the concrete wall, panting desperately for air. As soon as he was able to catch his breath, he leaned comfortably against the wall, letting out a sigh as he remembered he didn't have an umbrella, and was already disgustingly soaked from the rain. 

Being able to calm down, Yuu was suddenly hit with a wave of pain. It confused him greatly at first, before he remembered his hard collision with the ground after throwing himself out the doors. He lifted his hand, seeing that it was covered in blood and stinging awfully as the rain shattered against the wound on his palm and wrist. Shaking, Yuu then put his hand against where his head came in contact with the cement, feeling a warm liquid against his cold fingers. His head was bleeding, but it wasn't bad. The clumsy teen then bent over to look at his legs, in which the fall had cut through his pants and shredded his knees and shins. His face scrunched up in a painful frown, thinking about how his father figure, Guren Ichinose, was going to shout at him as soon as he got home. 

"Y-Yuichiro...?"

An angelic voice called out through the rain, ripping Yuu from his thoughts as he quickly lifted his head to see the person trying to get his attention. As soon as his head lifted, his eyes were immediately greeted with the sight of a tall and undeniably gorgeous blond boy, who was standing under a black umbrella. It was no doubt Mikaela Shindo. The slightly shorter idol was then filled with rage at the sight of his rival standing before him. Yuu stood upright, furrowing his brows at the opposing teen.

"What are you doing here?" The forest eyed teen asked, a harsh and sharp tone to his voice as he glared daggers at Mikaela. "I could ask you the same thing. I was just leaving-" the blue eyed male cut his sentence, then suddenly approached the raven haired boy. Yuu felt himself lose balance at his rival's sudden action, and he fell backwards onto the ground. "You're covered in blood...." Mikaela spoke. His voice was slightly shaky as he trailed off. "What about it?!" Yuichiro snapped, scrambling back onto his feet. "You're shaking.... Yuichiro, come with me. I can help you," the blond sounded worried as he continued to approach the rival. "W-what are you doing?! I don't need help, especially from the likes of you!" The stubborn teen shouted, and Mikaela furrowed his brows. "You're bleeding from your head, at least let me help you bandage it," "G-get away from me! I don't need your help! You're my enemy! Enemies don't help enemies!"

Mikaela seemed to halt, hearing those harsh words come from Yuu's mouth. "Enemies, huh?" He muttered to himself. "That's right, I'm your enemy, aren't I?!" The onyx haired idol shouted over the rain. "You are not my enemy," the angelic boy let out a sigh. Yuu's shimmering emeralds widened slightly at this. "Huh?" Was all that he could muster, a somewhat surprised yet cocky tone to his voice. "Anyways, that's not what's important right now. You're bleeding and you don't even have an umbrella-you're going to get sick." Mikaela mentioned, seeming somewhat irritated. Yuichiro wanted to lash out at the blond again, but he didn't. He was taken aback at his rival's words and actions, and wasn't sure what he should do.

As the soaked teen awkwardly stood there, trying to think of what he should do, Mikaela approached him once more. He held the umbrella up, so that it covered both of the males. "In the very least, just take the umbrella." The angel's voice was soft, yet strong. It was a tone that was soothing, yet commanding. Yuichiro then clenched his teeth, lifting his hand and swatting the umbrella away, letting it land on the wet concrete. He glared up at the rival, watching as his fluffy hair grew flat as the rain pounded against him. "Don't mess around with me! Don't act as if you're my friend!" Yuu shouted, and Mikaela's diamond orbs widened. "Is this how you treat people who want to help you, Yuichiro? Especially when you've never even met them?" The blond grunted, walking over to retrieve the umbrella.

Yuu suddenly paused, going over Mikaela's words. He was then suddenly slammed with a wave of guilt. The kind of wave that grinds you against the hard sand and rips your skin off. The rival was worried and trying to help the stubborn brat. Yet here Yuu was, screaming his head off at someone who was only trying to help. The black haired teen furrowed his brows as he pouted. He felt as if "Guilt" was a brick that continuously slapped him in the face. 

Being stuck in a state of guilt and thought, Yuu didn't even notice when Mikaela approached him once more. He didn't notice until the blond touched his hand, which was dripping blood onto the sidewalk. Mikaela didn't speak, and Yuu's eyes just widened. He couldn't help but just stare as someone he hated so much placed the umbrella in his bloody hand. He couldn't help but just watch as the taller idol turned and walked away, disappearing into the darkness with no umbrella. 

Yuichiro's green eyes then slowly glided to the umbrella in his hand. He frowned, feeling disgustingly awful for treating someone with no respect. Even though it had been someone he viewed as an enemy, it certainly gave him no right to act like that, especially when that was the first time he had ever met his rival. All this time, Yuu thought that he and Mikaela had mutual feelings for one another. Hating each other with a burning passion; but he had been wrong. If Mikaela had hated Yuu, he wouldn't have bothered to even try helping. The guilty boy's gaze lowered to the ground, and he turned in the opposite direction that the blond had walked. Yuu then began slowly walking home, now shielded from the bullets being shot from the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the first chapter of "A Rival Like You..."! This is a story I've been working on for over a year now, and I'm so excited to start sharing it with you guys! I'll try to update the chapters every week until it gets caught up to where I'm still writing. (I accidentally deleted my story somewhere along the way, and had to rewrite it) Otherwise, I hope you enjoy the story!


	2. The Pianist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuichiro takes the umbrella Mikaela gave him, and sets out to return it to the rightful owner. Following the address engraved on the umbrella handle, Yuichiro finds himself in an extraordinary, rich neighborhood where Mikaela happens to live. 
> 
> After finding the mansion and returning the umbrella to Mikaela Shindo, Yuichiro learns that Mikaela is an excellent pianist. Yuichiro and Mikaela quickly become friends, and Mikaela starts teaching Yuichiro how to play the piano.

"Oi, what happened to you, Idiot Yuu?"

Guren Ichinose, Yuu's father figure, said as soon as the boy walked through the entrance to his house. "I just slipped," Yuu replied bluntly, closing the umbrella and the door. "You're always so clumsy, go clean up." Guren let out a sigh, turning and disappearing into his office room. The teen frowned slightly, surprised that Guren didn't shout at him for being a mess and being home so late. He was also surprised as to why Guren was still up at 3:00 AM. The boy just sighed, looking at the room where Guren disappeared into. Yuu then took the umbrella with him and climbed the stairs to his bedroom.

The door to the idol's bedroom opened, and he flipped the light on. As hard as the rain was pouring outside, Yuu was impressed that the power hadn't gone out. He took a few steps into his room, being careful not to get his carpet all wet from his clothes and dripping skin. He set the black umbrella on his desk, grabbed a clean set of pajamas, and wandered off to the bathroom to shower. 

Even though it was very late, or super early, there was no way Yuu was going to pass up a hot shower. He walked into the bathroom, turned on the lights, and shut the door behind him, being sure to lock it. Yuichiro glanced at himself in the mirror, seeing what he looked like after all that time. There was a small abrasion on his head, luckily hidden by his fringe. The rain had washed away most of the blood, but since it was so wet, it did not scab over. He let out a bothered sigh, then noticed his eyes. His shimmering emeralds were red and puffed, as if he had been crying-more like sobbing. Yuu blinked a few times at the sight, he didn't remember ever crying. However, since the weather was so bad and so much was going on in his head, he probably wouldn't have even noticed if he had been crying or not; but why would he have been crying? Was it because of the guilt that he felt? Perhaps, but he himself didn't know. The black haired idol let out another sigh, then went off to shower.

After taking quite a long shower, Yuu took care of his wounds and ventured back to his bedroom, where his green orbs immediately landed on the black umbrella upon entering. "There's no way I can keep that thing..." He spoke amoung himself, walking over and picking it up off the desk. Yuu flipped it around in his hands, so that he could look at the address on the bottom. Underneath where the address was written, were the words, "Tepes Estate." Seeing this, a look of concern quickly crossed Yuu's face. Mikaela's last name was "Shindo," not "Tepes." Did that mean Mikaela was adopted? Or did this umbrella not belong to him? Either way, Yuu knew he had to return it to its rightful owner. Yuichiro set the object back on the desk, deciding that he'd return it in the morning. 

\---

"Did you walk home in that rain?"

A female voice came from the phone that Yuichiro held to his ear. The voice belonged to no other than Shinoa Hiragi, whom he was on the phone with as he sat at the kitchen table, across from Guren Ichinose. It was the later in the morning, and the two males were having breakfast before Guren left for work, and Yuu left to return the umbrella.

"Yeah, it was great, walking home without an umbrella." Yuu laughed effortlessly into the device, pouring coffee into a mug. "As expected from the likes of you, Yuu-San, when are you ever prepared?" The girl laughed on the other end. "Shut up! I'm always prepared! I just didn't know it was going to rain!" The boy grit his teeth, ignoring the look Guren was shooting at him. "Well, are you doing anything today?" Shinoa asked, changing the subject. Yuichiro sighed, taking a sip from his hot coffee. "Yeah, I am, why?" He replied with a bored tone, looking at his father figure who had a look saying, "Get off the phone when you're with your dad." 

"Ah really? I just wanted to ask if you could help me out with making your new costume." The ashen haired girl explained. "Why would you need my help with that? I'm a guy, I don't sew." Yuu sighed. "I uh-" Shinoa paused for a few seconds, as if she were trying to think of an excuse. "I lost some of your measurements.. I probably need new measurements anyways, I've noticed you've gotten fat." She teased. "Shut up! I am not fat!" The hot-headed idol grit his teeth again as Shinoa laughed. "Ugh, fine. I'll call you later." The boy stated, hanging up before she could reply. Yuu then set his phone down, and looked up at Guren who let out a loud sigh.

"You're so loud, it gives me a headache." The black haired man said, rubbing his forehead. "Whatever, I am not loud." Yuu hissed. "It's no wonder you can't beat that blond kid, all you do is scream into the mic and make everyone's ears bleed." Guren smirked, and Yuu furrowed his brows. He could feel something bubbling inside him at the mention of Mikaela, but it didn't feel like regular hatred. What did it feel like? Oh, that's right. It felt like guilt and the anger of Yuu being in the wrong. 

"Shut up! People love my music! I don't scream!" The teen slumped back in his chair, not wanting to talk about his rival. "Be quiet, Idiot Yuu. I have work, and starting the day with a headache from your kid sucks," the amethyst eyed male sighed once more. Yuu just clicked his tongue in response, grabbing his coffee mug and chugging down the rest of it. He then stood up from the table, placed the mug in the sink, and climbed the familiar stairwell to his room. 

As soon as the idol entered the room, he grabbed his backpack, where he placed his own umbrella inside. He then grabbed the black umbrella off the desk, picked up his backpack, and made his way to entrance door. "See ya' after work, Guren." Yuu said loudly as he put on his shoes, opening the door and walking out into the rain. The rain was not nearly as rough as it was the night before, it was light, but still enough to get you soaked in a short amount of time. Yuichiro opened the Tepes' umbrella, and held it over his head, looking at the address to see where he needed to go. The area that the address was, was quite a ways away from where Yuu was, so he had no other choice than to ride the train to that area- unless he wanted to walk a few miles.

The train ride to the area was quiet, hence most people were locked up inside their houses from the weather. Yuu held the closed umbrella at his side, looking down at the address every now and then, so that he knew what stop to get off at. He gazed out the window most of the time, silently thinking to himself about this-mysterious blond he had met the night before. Yuichiro didn't dare admit it, but he felt awful for the way he acted, and was really hoping that the umbrella belonged to Mikaela, just so he could have a chance to apologize. However, Yuu figured that his rival would probably hate him now, if he didn't before. 

Soon enough, the train arrived at Yuu's desired stop, and he got off. The onyx haired boy looked around the area as the train set off down the tracks after he got off. The area was.... Disturbingly rich. Across the street from the station, stood a huge neighborhood of humongous mansions and estates. Yuu wondered how it was possible that anyone could afford a home like that. For a second, he thought he may have gotten off at the wrong stop, but sure enough, according to the sign on the gated mansion community, the address was in that area. Yuichiro sighed, opening the black umbrella over his head, and grabbing his phone from his pocket. He plugged his earbuds in and began listening to music as he walked into the community, searching for this "Tepes Estate."

After walking for what seemed like hours, Yuu finally found himself at the right address. He gaped at the sight of the castle-like mansion. Did he have the right address? The estate was too giant, beautiful, and magnificent to have possibly owned a cheap umbrella such as the one in Yuichiro's hand. The estate was the biggest in the entire neighborhood, and the mansion was literally the size of a palace. It looked like a palace too. Through the gate, Yuu could see a long path, boarded with neatly trimmed bushes and colorful flowers, that lead to a gorgeous fountain. Even in the rainy weather, the fountain shot glittering water into the dull sky, and was nothing short of magnificent. 

Once the idol finished staring at the place for a well fifteen minutes, he looked at the name of the estate, which no doubt read, "Tepes Estate." Yuu gulped, was this where his rival lived? What was this heavenly sight? The teen then hesitantly lifted his frail finger, then slowly pressed it against the doorbell. Almost immediately, a voice came from the speaker. "What do you want? Weird kid who's been staring at my house for the past twenty minutes?" The voice asked, catching Yuu completely off guard. The voice was definitely female, but also sounded as if it came from a little girl. Could it have been Mikaela's sister?

"S-sorry, uh-" Yuichiro found himself stuttering, and the girl on the other end of the speaker laughed. "Yeah, I get it, I have the most brilliant place you've ever seen. So, what do you want? We don't give tours, you know." She spoke, and Yuu laughed nervously, taking a slight liking to her humor. "I have an umbrella that has the address to this place... So I just wanted to return it.." He explained. The girl went silent, and the towering gates to the palace began to open. Yuichiro was surprised that she didn't say anything more, but he quickly walked through the gates, down the driveway, passed the fountain that was the size of a huge pool, and to the welcoming entrance. 

The amazed teen stood at the top of the steps, in front of one of the huge doors, and it opened for him. As soon as it opened, Yuu was greeted with a girl. The girl was short, shorter than even Shinoa. She had crimson red eyes and long, flowing, light pink hair. "Is this umbrella your's...?" Yuichiro asked, gazing down at the girl. "That must be Mika's! I was wondering where his umbrella went, after he came home drenched last night," the short girl laughed. "Did he drop it or something?" She asked, looking into emeralds with her blood-like eyes. "N-no, he gave it to me because I didn't have my own," the young idol explained. "Wow, really? That's really generous of him... Are you his friend then? Come in, don't stand in the rain." The child smiled. Yuu noted that she also had fangs, just like Mikaela's. It must be some strange fashion thing. "I'm Krul Tepes, Mika's mother." The girl introduced herself as soon as Yuichiro stepped inside the palace. 

The idol almost fell backwards upon hearing that. This girl was Mikaela's MOM? She looked like she was freaking twelve! Yuu was sure she was a little kid at first, but she was his rival's mother...?! "O-oh, I'm Yuichiro Amane, it's nice to meet you, Mrs. Tepes." Yuu smiled, struggling to keep his composure. "Just call me Krul! Mika's in the music room just down the hall upstairs, so you can go give him the umbrella." The abnormally young looking woman stated, shutting the door and walking off into the mansion. Yuu blinked, watching as she just left him alone in the giant building.

Yuichiro stood in the entranceway, just looking around and admiring the place. The decor was absolutely stunning, and the house smelt of roses. He could hear the sound of a piano being played, it was quiet but as soon as he heard it, he immediately recognized the tune. It was that same song Yuu had heard in the building last night. The Raven haired boy paused, listening as the familiar angelic tone sang to his ears. The song was coming from upstairs, so Yuu removed his shoes and followed the music, cherishing every note that met him. He walked up the grand staircase, and down the hall. Finally, the mesmerizing song brought Yuu to a closed large door. He stood in front of it, listening to the keys of the piano, being played in the perfect order.

After about three minutes of the song, it came to an abrupt stop, and Yuu blinked. It was as if the halt of the song had caused the idol to wake up from a trance. That was when the stubborn teen finally stopped to think. That song was being played by Mikaela. It all made perfect sense now. That was why the blond was there to give Yuu the umbrella, because he had stayed late and played the piano on the stage. The onyx haired boy then took in a deep breath, grabbing the doorknob in his hand, and slowly turning it. 

The inside of the room was almost blinding. It was a huge room filled with exotic instruments, all arranged in the perfect order. The room had two large windows with a view of the outside gate, where Yuu had come from. The windows had thin white curtains draping over them, and thick Crimson curtains that were tied off to the side in a fancy manner. In the very center of the room, down a few wide stairs, was a grand piano. The piano was a magnificent sight, shining black and looked brand new. Yuu's Forest eyes then moved to the bench of the piano, when his gaze connected with the blue eyes of an angel.

"What are you doing here?"

Mikaela spoke, turning in his seat to face Yuu. Mikaela must have heard the rival walk in and just look around for a few brief seconds.

"I.... Just wanted to return your umbrella, and apologize for the way I lashed out at you." The slightly shorter male explained, surprised that he was able to say those words. The blond looked over him with his diamond orbs, there was a concerned frown on his pale face. "You want to apologize?" He asked, once again making eye contact. Yuu felt himself stiffen as those glistening blue eyes stared at him. "Y-yeah... I had never even met you before then, so It was really wrong on my part." The black haired boy felt his words shake slightly. Mikaela stayed silent for a moment, seeming to observe the opposing boy. 

"It's alright, I shouldn't blame you anyways," The taller teen finally spoke, letting out a sigh before he continued. "It's typical of rivals to hate each other, isn't it? Therefore I don't blame you. Even though you had never personally met me, it makes sense for you to get such a negative image." He finished, glancing down at the piano. A frail hand then brushed over the keys ever so slightly. 

Yuu just gazed, registering the words but also observing. Now, Yuu was pretty sure why everyone called the blond "inhuman." The way Mikaela moved, the way his eyes shimmered, the way his perfect hair framed his face, his soothing voice, and perfect features. It was like Yuu was in the same room with an angel. Mikaela was nothing less than beautiful. Being in the same room as him and being able to stare at him like this-it was like a blessing. Even though this boy was Yuu's ultimate rival and enemy, he couldn't deny how simply gorgeous the blue eyed idol was. 

Suddenly, after a minute or so of complete silence, Yuu shook his head from all these thoughts. He had almost forgotten about the entire conversation. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted that way at all. After meeting you, I realize how wrong I was to hate you..." Yuu finally spoke. He watched as a small smile appeared on the angel's face. "It's alright, I understand," Mikaela began. "Although, I think it would be good for you to know that I never hated you." His words came out in a slight mumble, and Yuu's eyes widened a bit. "How...?" Was all that came from the shorter idol's mouth. The angel blinked a bit before replying, "Personally, I don't care whether I'm the most famous idol or the least famous. I became an idol because of my love for music, not because I wanted or needed fame. I just wanted to share my music with those who'd listen.." His words trailed, as though an unwanted memory suddenly came to mind.

Yuu felt his heart sink at this. It was as if he were hit with a sudden realization. All this time- Yuu assumed that Mikaela hated him. He assumed that the blond loved his fame, and would do whatever he could to keep Yuu from beating him- when that wasn't the case at all. Mikaela was just what seemed like a lonely angel with a passion for music. He wasn't in it for the fame, he was in it for the ability to share his music to people who would listen. "Oh... I'm really sorry, Mikaela." Yuichiro's words stammered a bit. "Ah, it's fine, but that's just the reason why I never cared about rivalry or anything. When I first heard about you, I thought you were great, and had a great eye for music. I listened to your songs and watched you grow as an idol. Never would I have thought for people to deem us as rivals- I just thought you were another person with a passion for music. I was hoping to someday meet you and talk- but I should've figured you'd hate me after the whole rivalry thing started." The blue eyed teen explained, looking out the window at the gray sky. 

The black haired boy felt a lump form in the back of his throat. He was ashamed. "It's not that I don't love music, because I do. I grew up trying to teach myself to play the guitar and things like that. I became an idol because I wanted to have a better ear for music-and I loved that people cheered me on. I only hated you because the rivalry made me believe I was supposed to be better than you. I understand now though, that I should've never assumed that. First impressions change a lot, and now that I've actually met you- I don't think I can hate you at all anymore. If anything..." Yuu trailed before continuing. "Right now, I want nothing more than to try and be friends with you." He finished, looking off to his side as if he were embarrassed. Yuu could feel those beautiful blue eyes looking at him. Suddenly, a small and breathless laugh was heard. Yuu immediately looked back to the blond, who was laughing ever so slightly. 

Brows suddenly furrowed as the stubborn teen clenched his fists. "H-hey, are you laughing at me?!" He asked with a hostile tone. Mikaela laughed once more, then smiled at Yuu. A smile that made Yuu's small anger immediately vanish into thin air. "No, no, not at all. I just find it amusing that someone who has hated me so much, now wants to be my 'friend'? It's not a bad thing, because I would like to be your 'friend' as well." The angel explained, standing up from his seat at the piano. Yuichiro smiled, realizing in the back of his head about how out-of-character he was acting. However, at this moment, Yuu didn't care how strange he was acting. Somehow, it just felt right, despite how weird it was.

 

"By the way, Yuu-chan, call me Mika."

The inhuman idol spoke as the two boys sat in an enormous kitchen. Both of them were holding tea cups, with Yuu sipping at his every few moments. "Mika?" The emerald eyed boy repeated, and the angel nodded in response. 

Ever since the two had declared themselves as secret friends, Mika had addressed his rival as "Yuu-chan." In which Yuu hated to admit, but he liked the nickname. He liked the way it sounded when Mika said it. The two were "secret friends", because if they were to let the rest of the world know they were friends- it would get chaotic for the both of them. Therefore, they both decided on keeping their friendship behind closed doors. 

"So, Mika, what kind of work do your parents do? I mean- since you have such a huge mansion?" Yuu asked, looking into blue diamonds as he sipped at his tea. He also noted that Mika had not taken a single sip from his tea cup. "Oh, Krul? She's-" the taller boy paused for a second. "She owns a really, really big business," he said, looking out the window located behind Yuu. The onyx haired boy just nodded his head in response, taking another drink from his tea. 

"Mika," the stubborn teen began. The blond just sort of blinked his blue eyes in response, looking at the boy across from him. "I really liked that song you were playing on the piano when I got here. What is it called?" The green eyed idol questioned. Mika blinked once more, before smiling somewhat sadly. "It's a piece I've been working on for a while now. I haven't figured out a title or even any lyrics for it yet. I find it ridiculous... Usually lyrics and titles just come to me- but it's so difficult for this song... Nothing really seems to fit." The angel frowned a bit. "Don't you usually write lyrics before the music? That's what I do.." Yuu's words trailed as he smiled a bit sheepishly. "I usually do that, but this was just a song I wanted to compose, so I wrote the music first." "I see... Well, Mika, I think that when the time is right, it'll all come to you! And it'll be a phenomenal song!" The emerald eyed teen encouraged, and the blond smiled slightly.

After Yuu had finished his tea, and Mika threw away his untouched tea- the two left from the kitchen and made their way down a large, marble corridor. "So, does anyone else live here besides you and your mother?" Yuichiro asked as the two walked. His green eyes were looking out the huge windows, watching the rain tap against the glass, as if it were asking to be let inside. "No, it's just the two of us here. Sometimes other people come here just to keep the place clean," the sapphire eyed teen replied, following Yuu's gaze to the windows. "Krul is always so busy with work though, so I'm usually always here by myself." He finished. "Are you serious..? You, alone in a castle like this? Don't you invite friends over or something?" The slightly shorter male turned his head to look at the angel. Mika was silent for a few moments before he opened his mouth to speak. "No, I just play the piano and do my own things..." Mikaela's soothing voice trailed, and Yuu felt something like pain or pity. "Mika," the hot-headed boy said, causing the blond to stiffen slightly at the sharpness of Yuu's voice. "do you think you could teach me to play the piano?"

Mika froze for a second, hearing Yuu's sudden request. "You want me to teach you how to play piano..?" He asked, seeming a little startled. "Yeah, is that okay? You seem like an amazing pianist, and I would only want to learn from the best!" Yuu grinned idiotically. "Yeah, I guess I can if you'd really like me to... I've never taught anyone to play the piano before though," Mika let out a sigh. "Then I guess I'll be your first student!" The shorter boy smiled warmly- fully aware of how strange he was acting. Yet, he couldn't help it. 

Being there with Mika made Yuu act that way. It was like a feeling when you keep talking in class, but know that you shouldn't be. The two boys had only become friends just earlier that day, after Yuu hated the blond for so long. It was like Yuu had an immediate change of heart, and was now wanting himself to be involved with this blond. 

 

"I never got to learn how to play the piano while growing up, just the guitar," Yuu mentioned as they continued to walk. "Really? I grew up playing the piano. I know how to play guitar too," the taller teen wore a small smile on his face. "That's so cool!!!" The raven haired boy grinned once again, which caused Mika to smile a bit more. "I forgot to ask, Yuu-chan, but how're your wounds from falling last night?" The angel questioned. "Oh, they're fine! None of them are bleeding anymore, I just hope the one under my fringe doesn't scar," Yuu laughed a bit, and Mika stiffened at the mention of blood- but Yuu didn't know that. "That's good to hear," he assured. "I guess so. I was really startled last night when you were about to walk out into the hall, so I sprinted off," the black haired male rambled, and the blond paused briefly. "What do you mean?" He asked, his angelic voice seeming to calm Yuu's every nerve. "Oh- uh. I guess I forgot to explain..." The careless boy laughed nervously, before explaining that he listened to Mika play the piano the past night.

After explaining the story, Mika laughed a bit. "I wondered why you were standing out in the rain like that. I guess you had just left before I did," the taller male spoke. Yuu just smiled and nodded his head in response.

"Ah anyways, we should head to the music room for your first lesson." The blond smiled, looking down at the slightly shorter boy. "Right!" The black haired teen agreed. Yuichiro didn't understand why, but Mika had some kind of angelic charm to him. Everything the blond did was just- beautiful. Yuu had to wonder if he had a girlfriend, or how many girls fond over him at his school. 

Soon enough, the two idols arrived back at the music room. Upon entering, Mika pulled up a chair next to the piano bench, and sat himself down. "You can sit here," the blue eyed boy said, motioning for Yuu to sit on the bench. Forest green eyes stared for a second, as Yuu remained next to the doorway. "Wait, Mika..." He spoke, and the opposing male tilted his head, ever so slightly. "What is it?" He asked. "Before I play- I want you to play that song for me..." The raven haired idol said, in a sharp yet kind voice. Mika seemed a little taken aback at this, it took a moment before the blond replied. "U-uh... Sure..." Mikaela's voice trailed as he moved himself to sit on the piano bench.

The last time Mika had ever played the piano for someone, was when we was a child and would always play instruments for Krul. She would always sit in the music room with him while he played, and sometimes she'd even sing along. Krul had a beautiful voice, and whenever she sang while Mika played music for her, it was harmonic. It sang to anyone's ears who happened to be listening. Although, Mika was sure nobody ever listened, hence he and Krul were usually the only people in the mansion. It was a memory that Mika hated to admit, but he cherished it. He missed when he was young and Krul always made time for him. Nowadays, Krul was so busy keeping people in check, and staying involved with the progenitor council. She never had time for Mika. Of course, they still saw and spoke to each other, but not once in years had she made time to listen to his music. Not once in years had she requested him to play the violin for her. Not once had Mika even played an instrument at a concert or performance. So, hearing Yuu request Mika to play for him, made the blond quite surprised, yet happy.

Yuichiro watched as the rival took in a deep breath, and placed his hands on the piano keys. His diamond orbs fluttered shut, and he began. Mika's frail hands raced across the piano, playing the familiar tune that Yuu had come to love so much. Yuu watched as Mika moved with the piano. He looked so graceful, like an angel. The green eyed boy then glanced out the window, seeing that the gray sky was clearing up, and a ray of sunshine shown through the window, through the white curtains. The light fell right upon the blond, and somehow made the sight even more magical. The light illuminated him, and Mika looked like a real angel. For a moment, Yuu actually believed that feathery white wings were going to sprout from his back. It was glorious, and Yuu felt shivers running up and down his spine as he continued to watch. The music sung to his ears, and even though the song had no lyrics and no title, it was the most beautiful song Yuu had ever heard. This was a kind of a experience that could prove there was hope and beauty in a corrupted world that people called home.

As soon as Mika finished, his gem-like eyes fluttered open, and glanced at Yuu who was clapping like a maniac. The blond smiled and laughed a little, a light blush brushed across his flawless face as he stared at the onyx haired boy standing in the room. "That was awesome!!!" Yuu exclaimed, a big genuine grin on his face. A grin that somehow made Mika feel relieved. He didn't understand how, but it did.

"Thank you, Yuu-chan," Mika laughed a bit more, sitting back in the chair that he had placed next to the piano bench. "Now it's your turn." He said, again motioning for Yuu to sit on the piano bench. This time, Yuu obeyed and took the seat next to Mika, and thus the hour long lesson began. Mika taught Yuu all the basics, like how to sit, where to place your hands, where the bass clef was and where the treble clef was. He even taught Yuu the chords, and some relatively simple songs.

"Thanks for the lesson, Mika." Yuu said, standing outside of the main entrance to the palace. "Thanks for coming by," Mika replied, standing inside of the doorway. "Feel free to come by again, if you want some more lessons..." The blond suddenly glanced off to his side, as if he were embarrassed to say that. Yuu just simply nodded. "I will- wait. Uh, shouldn't we exchange phone numbers...? Just so it's easier to contact each other?" The black haired boy mentioned. "Oh, right! I can't believe I didn't think of that before." The blond laughed, pulling out his iPhone. The two exchanged numbers and said their farewells, then Yuu began his walk away from the castle.

As Yuichiro walked toward the exit of the gated community, he pulled out his phone. His emerald eyes stared at Mika's contact for a second, he looked at the picture that he had set for Mika's contact. The picture was of Mika standing in the doorway of the mansion, smiling and laughing awkwardly while Yuu took the photo. Yuu had to admit, he thought Mika would've been used to having his picture taken, hence being a very popular idol- but Yuu thought that this picture of Mika was simply adorable. Even when the blond seemed to be embarrassed, he was still nothing less than beautiful. Yuu smiled at the picture, then went to call Shinoa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading chapter two of "A Rival Like You..."! Chapter three will be available next week! I decided to post chapter two today, just so you guys would have more to read and to determine whether or not you like the story.


	3. Artist Unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuichiro and Shinoa head into town. The two split up and Yuichiro enters an idol store, where he finds a suspicious yet brilliant piece of artwork. He then leaves to meet with Shinoa again, and she questions Yuichiro about his whereabouts earlier that morning. 
> 
> Not wanting to tell Shinoa about his encounter with Mikaela, he attempts to stall with no avail. Shinoa ends up getting him to tell her everything, and she grows very concerned, in which Yuichiro doesn't understand why.

"So what were you busy doing this morning?" 

Shinoa Hiragi asked, as she stood next to Yuichiro Amane on a train to the shopping center. Yuu glanced down at the short girl, who was wearing a fluffy jacket and a scarf. The scarf covered her chin, and her curly ashen hair puffed up out of the opening of her scarf. Yuu thought she kind of looked like a chipmunk with her hair like that. The way the scarf hid her chin and her hair puffed and framed her face. It made her cheeks look much bigger. Yuu laughed a bit, instead of answering her question. "Hey, what's so funny?" She suddenly frowned, looking at him with her brown eyes. "Nothing, I just thought that you look like a chipmunk today." The boy grinned. "What?! I do not- agh..." Shinoa trailed off. "Well- chipmunks are cute! So that must be a compliment, right?" The girl grinned, tilting her chin up in a proud pose. "Ah- no- that was not a compliment. That's like I was saying you look fat." The taller male had an evil glint in his eyes. "Hmph. Whatever, I'll have you know you're wayyy fatter than I am." Shinoa laughed and Yuu frowned. 

"Anyways, you didn't answer my question, Yuu-San." Shinoa brought up as the two got off the train. "I was just running some errands," Yuu lied, shrugging his shoulders. "Bull crap, you don't run errands." The pale girl called out. "How would you know?" The black haired boy sighed. "I've known you for a while now. I know how lazy you are with that stuff. Anyways, tell me the truth." Shinoa's voice sounded bored and somewhat annoyed. Yuu looked down at his feet, contemplating on what he should tell her. Shinoa was good at seeing through his lies. He trusted her, but at the same time he swore to Mika that their meeting and friendship would be between only them- the only other person who knew about Yuu visiting was Krul- but she didn't even seem interested. Also, if Yuu told Shinoa he was at Mika's house, he knew she would tease him non-stop about it. Shinoa was just a bit of a "fujoshi"- after all. 

"Let's talk about it later..." Yuu announced, and Shinoa frowned at him, but nodded her head in response. "Okay- we'll talk about it later," she said. "Anyways, I'm going to go fabric shopping. Wanna come with?" She finished. "Hmm..." Yuu thought about it for a second, looking around the shopping center. After he had left Mika's mansion, it had begun raining again. The rain was light, but it was still rain, and the two were both holding umbrella's over their heads. As Yuu looked around, he spotted an idol store in the distance. He could see a poster of Mika, and of course he looked perfect as always. "Ah, you go ahead, Shinoa. I'm going to go look at the idol store." Yuu replied, and the girl rolled her emotionless brown orbs. "Of course, I should've suspected that, coming from someone as cocky as you," she teased. "Okay, well, meet me at the coffee shop at 14:00, otherwise I'll be at the fabric shop." Shinoa finished, rushing off in front of Yuu, in the direction of the fabric store. The boy watched as she left, her scarf swaying behind her. He then turned, and walked in the direction of the idol shop.

The poster of Mika was on the door of the store. It was him smiling and winking at the camera, holding a microphone to his mouth, and reaching out to the camera with his other hand. His outfit was mostly black, with a hat and feathers on it. It was the same picture that Yuu had seen in the magazine, and drawn all over. However, Mika looked beautiful on the poster, and Yuu remembered seeing a glimpse of the concert on TV, before he got pissed and changed the channel. The stubborn teen let out a sigh, before he opened the door to the store and walked in. 

The store was filled with idol merchandise of all sorts. From posters to figurines, CD's to DVD's, plushies to cosplays. It was crazy. Yuu looked around, seeing posters of himself hanging up around the store. There was even some fanart posters of both he and Mika hung up. The art was beautiful, Yuu had to admit. Some of them almost looked like real photographs of Mika and Yuu having a singing contest on stage or something. The idol felt himself frown slightly upon the fanart. The majority of it was things like Mika and Yuu grabbing each other by the collar and looking like they were going to kill each other. It was stuff like that that caused Yuu to believe that Mika hated him, when that wasn't the case at all.

As Yuu continued to look around, he suddenly noticed a girl staring at him from the front desk. It was the cashier. She looked to be in her twenties, and she stood with her mouth agape. Yuu waved at her in a friendly manner, and she immediately grinned. "A-are you really Yuichiro Amane??? Or are you a cosplayer???" She asked, her voice shook in an excited tone. The boy just nodded and smiled awkwardly before replying. "I'm Yuichiro Amane," he laughed breathlessly as the woman gasped. "No way!!! Who would've thought you'd actually come to this store!!! W-welcome!" She seemed overjoyed, and bowed as she greeted him. Yuu just smiled and bowed his head slightly in response, as a sign of respect. "Ah, I'm sure you get fangirled over all the time. My apologies, Mr. Amane. Please feel free to look around! If you find anything you'd like, you can have one thing for free!" She smiled, and Yuu thanked her before walking down the aisles of the store.

While walking down one of the aisles, Yuu spotted a glorious piece of fanart. The art style and the colors were beautiful, it really stood out compared to the other pieces of art. The picture was of Mika and Yuu, and Mika seemed to be drinking Yuu's blood. Mika's face was in the crook of Yuu's neck, and a crimson red liquid was dripping from Mika's chin and onto Yuu's white button up shirt. Yuu did admit, the picture itself was quite awkward- but the art was beautiful. And he didn't blame the artist for drawing it, because Mika did always wear those vampire fangs. The idol continued examining the photograph. The two seemed to be sitting in a bed of flowers, and Mika's arms were wrapped around Yuu. Yuu was looking at the "camera" with glittery green eyes, and his expression seemed like he didn't mind having his blood drank. One of his hands was in Mika's hair, and the other was holding Mika in a hug. Mika, on the other hand, had glittering scarlet red eyes, instead of his diamond blue eyes. He was also looking at the "camera" and his expression was a mix between anger and sadness.

Yuu stared at the artwork, wondering why the artist had given Mika those Crimson eyes, rather than his beautiful blue ones. Yuu did think that Mika looked very good with red eyes though. The boy then glanced at the signature in the corner of the framed fanart. The signature read "Mahiru" but there was no last name. He then picked up the framed picture, which was actually quite large. Yuu held it in his hands, and for some reason, there was something about the picture that made him not want to take his eyes off of it, it was almost hypnotizing. Without a second thought, Yuu blushed and set the picture back on the shelf. He then turned and kept walking around. However, even though he kept looking at different things, his mind kept wandering back to that picture- and Yuu got the feeling that he should take the picture with him. He had some kind of feeling that told him the picture was important. Even if Yuu chose not to take the fanart, he had the feeling that he would always remember it.

Yuu stood in another aisle, where a flat screen TV hung and a video of Mika played. He was on the stage, dancing and singing. The green eyed idol stared at the perfect blond as he moved across the stage, smiling at the crowd and singing with his beautiful voice. It was when Yuu's eyes fell upon Mika's fangs, that he got some kind of unsettling feeling. It wasn't a bad feeling, but a feeling that automatically made him think back to that picture. The teen grit his teeth, shaking his head as he realized how ridiculous he was acting. Mika wasn't a vampire. Vampires didn't exist, that was just some stupid fanart drawn by a talented fan- it wasn't like it actually meant anything. Yuu sighed, walking back to the front of the store. He thanked the cashier and left, walking down to the fabric store to find his sisterly figure.

"Hold these, will you?"

Shinoa asked, shoving rolls of green and black uniform material fabric into Yuu's arms, before he could even say anything to her. "Is this for a new costume?" He asked, and the girl nodded, searching through rolls of green ribbon. She finally grabbed a roll of shiny and skinny forest green ribbon, then tossed it into Yuu's arms. "It's gonna be a super cool costume. I don't even know what song it'll be for, but I want you to wear it at your BIGGEST concert, mkay?" The short female spoke, running around and grabbing golden buttons, white leather, brown leather, and other things. Yuu frowned slightly, trying to keep track of the things she was throwing at him to carry.

"I got the idea for this costume when Shinya told me about the military uniform he used to wear in high school." Shinoa explained as she and Yuu exited the store. Shinoa was carrying one bag of materials, while Yuu carried the other. "Shinya wore a military uniform in high school? Does that mean Guren wore one too?" The boy asked, holding the dark blue umbrella above his head. "I think so. I don't know why, but Shinya told me that Kureto made them wear military uniforms of some sort." She stated, adjusting the big scarf around her neck. "They went to the same high school as us, didn't they?" Yuichiro mentioned, glancing down at her. "Yeah, it was really different a few years ago though. When it was still owned by my family, it was a private school." Shinoa answered. "Huh, weird." Yuu shrugged, continuing to walk to the coffee shop.

Yuu knew that Shinoa wasn't close to her blood family. The only other Hiragi she was close to was Shinya, and he had been adopted into the family. Since Yuu knew this, he didn't really talk about the Hiragis around her. From what Guren told Yuu, the Hiragi family was super huge, self-centered, and more easily explained as, "crazy." However, Guren, Shinya, and the rest of Guren's friends- Sayuri, Shigure, Norito, and Mito, all worked for Kureto Hiragi, who owned some kind of business. The entire topic wasn't really something Yuu liked to dwell on, so he really didn't pay much attention to the entire thing. 

"So, Yuu-san," Shinoa smirked, stirring her pink Frappucino around as the two sat in a Starbucks. "Hmm?" He responded, looking at her as he drank his coffee. "What were you doing earlier today?" She finished, and Yuu immediately put his coffee down. "I just went for a walk," he shrugged. He wasn't exactly lying at that, for he had walked a while to Mika's estate. "That doesn't explain anything, Yuu-san. If you had just gone for a walk, you wouldn't have told me you were busy." The girl's brows furrowed slightly. Yuu frowned, glaring out the window. "Tell me, Yuu-San, if you don't, I'm going to return all this fabric and not make your next costume." She black-mailed. Yuichiro immediately looked back at her, angry. "You're kidding me right?" He said, an annoyed tone in his voice. "No, I'm not kidding. What could you have possibly done that needs to be so secret anyways?" The brown eyed girl raised an eyebrow.   
"Why do you care so much anyways?"  
"Why wouldn't I? I'm your 'sister' am I not?"  
"..."  
"I thought you trusted me, Yuu-san?"  
"I do... But..."  
"But what? Are you afraid I'm going to tell the entire world?"  
"Maybe..."  
"Seriously? Yuu-san. If you don't want me to tell anyone then I won't. Have a little more faith in your family."  
"Fine..."  
Yuu took in a deep breath, before he quietly explained to Shinoa that he was returning an umbrella to someone who lived in a super rich neighborhood. After he finished talking, Shinoa's usual emotionless brown eyes were widened slightly. "What's wrong?" Yuu asked, thinking back on what he said to make sure he didn't bring up anything related to Mika. The girl made eye contact with her slightly widened orbs. "What was the name of the neighborhood?" She asked, quietly. The idol just raised an eyebrow. "What does that matter?" He questioned. "Yuu-san, please tell me." She pushed. Yuu frowned out of concern, but answered her. "I think it was Sanguinem, or something like that." He shrugged, and Shinoa suddenly stood up. "Yuu-San, we should go somewhere more private." Was all she said, before she grabbed her Frappucino, her bags, and left the cafe. "W-wha..? Shinoa!" Yuu shouted, before grabbing his stuff and following her outside. 

 

"Hasn't Guren ever told you about that neighborhood?" The ashen haired girl asked as the two walked through an empty park. "Not that I know of, I've never heard of it." Yuu answered as they walked over a bridge. Shinoa stopped in her tracks, walking to the railing of the bridge and looking over into the gentle river. Yuu turned and walked to stand next to her. "My sister once told me about it, before she died...." The short girl's voice trailed before she continued. "Shinya told me about it too. They both told me that neighborhood is extremely dangerous, and to stay away from there at all costs," Shinoa then turned to Yuu, lifting up her umbrella so that she could look him in the eyes. "So... How did you get an umbrella with an address for that neighborhood?" She asked. Yuu looked at her, seeing the concern in her usually emotionless eyes. He sighed in defeat, before telling her.

"Last night, Mikaela Shindo gave me his umbrella, because I didn't have one. I yelled at him because I thought he hated me, but instead he just gave me the umbrella and left. So this morning, I felt bad for being so rude to him. So I followed the address on the bottom of the umbrella, and it lead me to that neighborhood. It lead me to the biggest mansion in the entire city, and apparently that was where Mika-" Yuu cut himself off, realizing he had just called him "Mika" instead of "Mikaela." "Mika..?" Shinoa questioned, suddenly smirking. "So Yuu-san, what got you to start calling him, 'Mika'?" She grinned evilly. ".... I gave him the umbrella back and apologized to him. We hung out for a while and I asked if he would give me piano lessons, and he agreed." Yuu finished. Shinoa suddenly burst out laughing at the news. "S-stop that!" Yuu shouted as the girl continued to laugh.

"Anyways," Shinoa spoke, after her fit of laughter. "Yuu-san, do you even know what 'Sanguinem' means?" She questioned him. The onyx haired teen was surprised that she didn't just start teasing him, but he figured it must be serious if she hadn't. "No..?" Was all he responded with. "It means blood." The small girl stated, and Yuu felt himself freeze. His mind immediately jumped to that fanart he had seen, and the sight of Mika's fangs and Krul's eyes flashed before him. Shinoa must've noticed, because the next thing she did was grab Yuu by the shoulders and pull him down to her height. She then leaned in and whispered into his ear. "Yuu-san, do you believe in vampires?"

The idol stood motionless for a second, repeating Shinoa's words over and over in his head. The ashen haired girl suddenly pulled back, looking him in the eyes, once again. "I'm just kidding, you loser. Don't act so shocked." The girl suddenly began laughing again, slapping Yuu on the shoulder. The black haired teen then shook his head, and laughed along with her. "You're right, there's no way vampires could exist! Oh, and by the way, Shinoa?" He asked, waiting for her to quit laughing. "Yes, gay boy?" She grinned, and Yuu suddenly furrowed his brows. "W-what?!" "Ahahaha oh Yuu-san, you didn't expect me to ignore the fact that you visited Mikaela Shindo, did you?" She grinned and laughed viciously. "I didn't know you and him had suddenly gotten together so fast. So, did you kiss???" She continued, and Yuu grit his teeth. "Gah, you're so annoying! I don't know why I tell you anything!" He complained, and the girl kept on laughing.

"Anyways, that neighborhood is dangerous from all I've heard. Please stay away from there, Yuu-San." The female said, looking into the water beneath the bridge they were standing on. Yuu followed her gaze, watching as the rain fell into the water, making small splashes. "Shinoa, you've never told me what your sister's name was." Yuichiro changed the subject, his emerald eyes gliding over to her. "Her name was Mahiru, Mahiru Hiragi." 

 

"How'd you lose my measurements, anyways?" Yuichiro asked as Shinoa held a tape measure up to his shoulders. The two were back at Shinoa and Shinya's house, standing in Shinoa's sewing room. "Don't ask stupid questions," the girl stated bluntly, grabbing a pen and recording Yuu's measurements on a sticky note. She then proceeded to stick the note on a bulletin board.

"Hey uh, do you know what your sister did...?" The idol hesitantly changed the subject, knowing that the girl's older sister was dead. He didn't want to make Shinoa upset or offended, but he needed information. So he was just trying to be as nice as he could about it. The ashen haired girl raised an eyebrow at the male. "Why are you so interested in my sister, all of the sudden?" She questioned, grabbing the tape measure to measure Yuu's arms. "I uh- saw something having to do with her," The green eyed boy stated. "Hm," Shinoa just simply shrugged.

"I'm sorry, Shinoa... I didn't mean to-" the boy began, but was cut off with Shinoa's words. "It's not that, Yuu-San. Mahiru and I weren't close... I don't mind," she said. "Oh..." The idol trailed. "Mahiru was a genius. She was perfect. The smartest of our family. Yet, she was always so obsessed with Guren, and used her 'genius ways' to do unspeakable things. She had some kind of resource too, like someone who would give her more information about things we don't even know..." The brown eyed girl spoke, adjusting her reading glasses on her nose. "Is that enough?" She then asked, looking up at Yuu, and he nodded in response.

The next few moments were silent, as Shinoa continued to measure and Yuu stood there, thinking over what he had just been told. He thought about that fanart, then thought about what Shinoa had said about Mahiru having information no one else knew. If Mahiru were that big of a "genius," could she have been the artist? There was no way. Was Mahiru even into art? Also, no matter how smart she was, or whoever her resource was, why would she make something like that? There was no way she could even tell the future about Yuu becoming an idol either, right? That was impossible, right?

"Oh, one more thing about Mahiru, Yuu-San." The petite girl spoke up, causing Yuu to blink his forest eyes and look at her. "What is it?" He asked, watching as she finished writing down the last of his measurements. "She was an amazing artist, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading chapter three of "A Rival Like You..." I hope you enjoyed!!! Chapter four will be available next week. Also, thanks for all the positive feedback! It makes me really happy that you guys have liked the story so far!


	4. Lonely Living

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikaela Shindo ponders many thoughts in his head, and tries to get things sorted out.

Mikaela Shindo stood on the balcony connected to his bedroom. The balcony overlooked the magnificent courtyard, surrounded with exotic flowers and another giant fountain in the middle. The blond let out a sigh as the rain dripped onto him. The sun had gone down and the only light was coming from the lights in the house, and the lanterns lining the walkways of the courtyard. Mika looked upward, towards the sky, where not even the brilliant moon could be seen, for it was hidden by the rain clouds. Mika then blinked, as a rain drop fell into his blue eyes. He looked down into the courtyard once again, watching as the rain drops fell and beat the flowers. The rain wasn't heavy at the moment, but it had been raining for so long now, the flowers were faltering. 

Mika turned, looking inside his master bedroom. A grand piano was located in the corner of the room, just inside the French doors that lead to the balcony. He wasn't quite sure why he was standing out in the rain like that, but he didn't mind. The angelic boy then let out a sigh, turning back toward the courtyard and resting his head on the guard rail. He stared at the droopy flowers. "All you desire is water, so why are you dying when water is what you're getting?" Mika spoke to himself. Of course, he wasn't dumb, he knew the answer why, but what he was referring to were his own desires. 

Mika wanted blood, and lots of it, yet, he always refused. For so many years, he had only ever drank Krul's blood. Thus, the boy still had humanity left in him. At the same time though, he was growing so sick of her blood, and he desired human blood. It was painful, oh so painful. However, Mika always refused to drink human blood. Why? Because he hated being a monster. He didn't want to turn into a complete vampire, who uses people and never ages. Mika hated vampires, more than anything. When he was a child, he didn't even believe they existed. That was all until his parents had thrown him out of a car. He laid on the side of the road, somehow still alive when he should've been dead. He watched as his parents died and burned. Then- Krul found him. She found him and forced him to drink her blood, which was the reason he was still alive. 

As Mika grew up under Krul's care, he saw how vampires treated humans- like animals. He hated seeing kids being treated like that. Having blood drained from them so that the vampires could drink it. So, eventually, Mika made friends with some of the kids. He wanted to drink their blood, but knowing that he was once human himself, and knowing how much they suffered, he didn't dare do it. Instead, Mika wanted to help those kids escape but- it didn't end well.

In the end, Mika had always hated vampires, and how they treated humanity as nothing more than livestock. 

The idol continued to stare at the flowers as the rain water dripped from his blond hair into his sapphire eyes. He'd blink the water away, but he didn't want to go back inside. Mika wasn't quite sure himself if he was crying or not, but what reason did he have to cry anyways? Did he feel bad for himself for being forced into becoming a monster? No, that wasn't it. Mika didn't care about himself. So why did he choose to keep living this sad life? He himself didn't know. Mika felt ready to die, but at the same time, part of him still wanted to hang on, to find a reason, to believe everything would be okay.

That was when Mika remembered Yuu. He remembered that feeling he got when Yuu was clapping and grinning like an idiot. It was the first feeling Mika had in years that wasn't pain, sadness, anger, or the feeling of temporary happiness by making music. It was a feeling that somehow made Mika want to be with Yuu- whatever that meant.

Just then, Mika walked into his bedroom. He grabbed a towel from his bathroom, which was connected to his bedroom, and dried himself off, before walking over to his bed and retrieving his phone. Mika unlocked the phone, then looked at Yuu's contact. The picture was of Yuu with an idiot grin and making a peace sign with his fingers. A smile appeared on the blond's face as he stared at the picture for a moment. He felt that unfamiliar feeling creep up on him again. That feeling that made him want to smile like an idiot, that feeling that made his heart pound, that feeling that made him happy.

Mika then sighed, tossing the phone next to him and flopping backward onto his mattress. As he lay there for a few seconds, he could hear a ringing noise. The blond immediately perked his head up, glancing at his phone, seeing that it was calling Yuu. Mika suddenly panicked, he must've accidentally hit the call button when he flopped backward. He grabbed the phone and was about to hit the hang up button- when he heard a "Hello, Mika?" Come from the device. The angelic teen scrambled to grab his phone and bring it to his ear. 

"H-hello? Yuu-chan?" Mika's voice kind of shook when he spoke into the phone. "Hey, what's up?" Yuu's voice came from the other end, and Mika could feel his heart pounding in his chest. "A-ah nothing..! I uh- accidentally called you???" The blond said. "Oh, I was actually just about to text you, are you busy?" The other boy laughed, and Mika felt somewhat relieved. "No, I'm not busy, what about you?" The blue eyed idol felt himself smiling at the sound of Yuu's voice. "I'm not either. I'm glad you called. I wanted to ask, do you wanna schedule a day for my next lesson?" Yuichiro asked. "Sure, but Yuu-chan?" "What is it, Mika?" "The next time you come down, let me know so I can meet you at the train station. Then you won't need to walk alone all the way here." There was a pause on the other side of the phone, and Mika pressed his lips together tightly. "Alright, sounds great." Yuu finally replied, a slight laugh to his voice. 

"Is there any chance you'd be able to come by the day after tomorrow?" The blond asked, staring up at his ceiling as he lay on the bed. "Yeah! I could come over after school or something?" The rival exclaimed. "Sounds great," the inhuman idol smiled slightly. "Yeah," Yuu answered. The line went quiet for a few seconds, but the silence wasn't awkward. "Hey Mika?" The black haired boy broke the silence. "Yes?" "I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" "Alright, good night then, Yuu-chan." "Night, Mika." And with that, Mika hung up the call and set his phone next to him. 

The diamond eyed boy stared up at his dark ceiling again, letting out a sigh as he rested the back of his hand on his forehead. Mika thought about Yuu, and how unexpectedly fast he was starting to actually care about this boy. For so long, Mika had just seen Yuu as someone who had a passion for music. Yuu was someone who Mika admired. Yet now, it felt different. Even though it had been a day since they actually met, Mika somehow got a crazy feeling that Yuu was going to be by his side for a long time. The blond then began to drift off, until there was a knock at his bedroom door.

Before Mika could say anything, his door opened and a short girl with flowing pink hair stepped inside. Following behind her was a small bat who flew in through the door and fluttered around the room. The idol glanced over at her, not bothering to sit up from his mattress. He watched as Krul flipped on the light and sat on Mika's bed side. Her back faced him, but she turned her head to look at him as he lay there. 

"What're you doing in here?" Mika asked. His hand was still on his face, so his blue eyes were shadowed as he stared at the girl. She simply smiled before speaking. "A human visited the mansion today, you know? The one who returned the umbrella to you. Who was he?" Krul asked, her scarlet eyes suddenly narrowing slightly as she looked down at the teen. "Yuu-chan..?" Mika's voice was soft as he spoke the rival's name. "Yuichiro Amane, right?" Krul's voice was strong, and Mika couldn't tell if she was angry or just speaking normally. "Why?" The blond questioned, sitting upright, now looking down at the girl. "I'm just a little surprised, is all... You've never treated anyone like that, much less a human," She responded. "Do you like him?" Krul suddenly asked, out of the blue. Mika's face went completely red and he nearly fell off the bed.

"I'll take that as a yes," Krul suddenly giggled, and Mika quickly regathered himself. "What?! No! I've only known him for a day, how could I like him?" The blond stammered, and the small woman shrugged. "Love comes in many ways. Who knows, maybe you two were destined to be together?" She smirked, jumping up from the mattress and exiting the room with her bat before Mika could even reply. 

The angelic idol sat still, thinking over what had just happened. How would Krul know anything about love? For the years Mika had lived with her, she had never shown or spoken anything about love. Krul had been alive for over 2,000 years, surely she wouldn't remember anything about love after living for so long without anyone. The only thing vampires like her felt was the desire for blood. Or did Mika have it wrong? Perhaps he was just overthinking. Or maybe Krul really did have someone who she loved for many many years.

Eventually, Mika switched off the lights and laid back down on the bed. He nestled in under the blankets and stared into the blackness of his room, thinking of multiple things before he drifted off into an unneeded slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for updating so late!!! Anyways, thank you for reading chapter four of "A Rival Like You..."! This is a pretty short chapter, but I wanted to write from Mika's point of view. I hope you enjoyed! Chapter five will be available next week!


	5. School Squad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuichiro goes to school on a typical Monday. Mitsuba Sangu catches him in the library, which is unusual on its own- but Yuichiro is also studying up on vampires? 
> 
> Yuichiro groups with his best friends: Shinoa Hiragi, Mitsuba Sangu, Shiho Kimizuki, and Yoichi Saotome. The squad spend the entire day together.

"Yuu?"

Yuichiro Amane looked up from a book he was reading in the school library. It was the day after he had visited Mika's house, and he was at his high school on a typical Monday. 

As the black haired teen glanced up, his gaze was met with Mitsuba Sangu. A close friend of his who had long golden hair, usually tied in twin tails. She had glistening amethyst eyes and a pretty face. She stood in front of the table Yuu was sitting at, holding a few books in her arms. 

"Oh, good morning, Mitsuba." Yuu gave a friendly smile and motioned for her to sit next to him. The girl blushed a little before quickly sitting beside him. "What're you doing in the library?" She asked, trying to glance at the book Yuu was now hiding. "Studying..." The idol obviously lied, and Mitsuba raised an eyebrow. "You never study, Yuu. Don't lie to me." She frowned. Yuu let out a loud sigh before giving up and tossing the book in front of Mitsuba. She glanced at it, then immediately gave Yuu a strange look. "Vampires? You're reading about vampires?" The girl asked. "You wanted to know what I was doing," Yuu shrugged. "Well, why?" Mitsuba's amethyst eyes connected with Yuu's emerald ones.

"Just a research project for a class," he lied, breaking the eye contact and looking off to his side. The blonde let out a sigh before sitting back in her seat. "What kind of project calls for vampires?" She mumbled under her breath, and Yuu glanced back at her. "Shouldn't you be with Shinoa?" He changed the subject, his voice lowering a bit. Mitsuba blinked at him, then shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. "I haven't run into her," she answered. "I came to school with her, so she should be around." The idol smiled a bit, and Mitsuba rolled her eyes in response. "Anyways, Idiot Yuu," the girl said, reaching out and grabbing one of the books she had set on the table. "How'd your concert go Saturday night?" She asked.

The forest eyed boy felt his heart sink a little at the mention of the concert. The scene of himself cursing out Mika replayed in his head on repeat. The idol bit his lower lip and furrowed his brow, which caused Mitsuba to raise an eyebrow at him. "Is everything okay?" She questioned. "Y-yeah, sorry, Mitsuba. The concert was fine," he finally answered, letting out a troubled sigh. "Anyways... I'm gonna go, I'll catch you later." Yuu spoke quickly, standing up and grabbing the book he had been reading. Mitsuba didn't say anything, but just simply watched as he left the library.

The idol let out a sigh as he stood outside the door to the library. Even though Mika had forgiven him, he couldn't help but feel guilty. Yuu felt like he needed to make it up to Mika in some way, but how? The blond was perfect. Yuu was 99% sure that he could do anything. He was stinking rich, and could own anything he possibly desired. 

The black haired boy then stuffed the book into his bag as he walked down the hallway, crowded with students. Yuu was still thinking about something he could do for Mika, but nothing would come to mind. He let out another sigh, then spotted none other than Shinoa down the hallway. She was talking to a taller boy with brown curled hair, and green-ish eyes. He was a cute boy, who was also one of Yuu's best friends. His name was Yoichi Saotome, who was holding his school bag to his chest as he chatted with the short girl.

Soon enough, Yoichi's eyes glanced upward from Shinoa, and spotted Yuu down the hall. The brunette smiled and waved, and Shinoa turned to see Yuu walking in their direction. She also smiled and waved as the idol caught up to them.

"Good morning, Yuu-kun!" Yoichi greeted. "Morning," Yuu replied, then looked down to Shinoa. "Mitsuba's in the library, if you wanna talk to her." He informed, and a smile appeared on the short girl's face. "Mii-chan~!" She exclaimed, pushing passed Yuichiro and running down the hall to the library. Yuu watched as she left, then turned back to Yoichi. 

"So, how was your concert? I wasn't able to watch it because I was studying." The brunette asked, smiling warmly. "It was fine," Yuu simply shrugged, sick and tired of being asked the same question over and over again. "Good to hear! So, what'd you and Shinoa do over the weekend?" Yoichi asked another question, and Yuu sighed. "Why do you always assume I'm with Shinoa all the time?" The black haired teen frowned and Yoichi laughed. "Well, am I wrong? She's your sister and your costume designer. You practically grew up together." The shorter boy stated, and Yuu nodded slightly. "Good point..." The stubborn idol mumbled. "Well, Shinoa took me shopping with her for sewing supplies, and that's about it." The emerald eyed boy laughed effortlessly. "How about you? How was your weekend, Yoichi?"

 

"Oi, Yuichiro Amane! Quit sleeping in my class!"

A loud voice shouted, causing Yuu to perk his head up from where he was resting on his desk. "I wasn't sleeping, I was just relaxing." The idol snapped back, causing the teacher to only grow more annoyed. "Sleeping or not, pay attention. That idol career of yours isn't gonna take you anywhere if you keep losing to that Shindo boy," the teacher stated, which resulted in the entire class turning towards Yuu saying, "Ohhhhhhhhhh." The green eyed boy felt his eye twitch upon hearing this. "As if you know anything about being an idol." Yuu mumbled, making sure he was loud enough for the teacher to hear. That was when the students all turned their heads back toward the teacher, eager to hear his response. The brown haired man only grit his teeth, adjusted his glasses, and continued teaching.

Yuu grinned at this, feeling as if he'd just won a battle. He then leaned back in his chair, sticking the end of his pencil in his mouth and staring out the window. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the weather was warm enough. The stubborn teen didn't understand why he was stuck in school while the weather was so nice, especially knowing that it would start raining again at any moment. He frowned, then glanced over to the clock. Fifteen minutes until lunch.

"You never learn, do you?" 

Shinoa Hiragi spoke. Her and Yuichiro were waiting in line for lunch, both holding their trays. "Why should we have to be locked up in this place when the weather's so nice, anyways?" Yuu complained, looking out the window. "Um, maybe because this is school, idiot." The girl grinned, elbowing the idol in the stomach. "H-hey!" He glared at her. "I told Mii-chan and the others we'd sit outside with them, so you can enjoy that." Shinoa shrugged, handing her tray to the cafeteria woman, and telling her what she wanted for lunch. 

Soon enough, the duo walked outside to the courtyard, both with food on their trays. Yuu looked around, spotting a familiar trio in the distance. Mitsuba Sangu, Shiho Kimizuki, and Yoichi Saotome were all sitting together under a tree. All of which had already gotten their food. Yoichi waved over to Yuu and Shinoa as they wandered over to the tree. 

As the group of friends ate and chatted, Yuu kept looking off in the distance. He wasn't staring at anything in particular, just lost in thought. He was going over what Mika had taught him about piano, and he looked forward to the next lesson. That was when Yuu realized he hadn't texted or received any texts from Mika at all today. The idol then pulled out his phone from his pocket, seeing the endless notifications from his social media. He then pulled up Mika's contact, and smiled upon seeing the picture of the blond.

"Who are you texting?" A certain tall boy with pink hair and glasses asked, trying to glance at Yuu's cellular device. "Hey! There's such thing as privacy, you know?!" Yuu hissed, hiding his phone from Kimizuki's line of sight. "Jeez, I was just asking. Why are you so hostile about it, anyways?" The cool-headed teen raised an eyebrow as Mitsuba, Yoichi, and Shinoa paused their conversation and looked over. "It's nothing, just stuff from the agency," the onyx haired boy sighed, noticing as Shinoa grinned that vicious grin of her's. "I know who he's texting~" she sang with an evil tone to her voice. Yuu shot her a threatening glare that said, "Don't even think about it." Of course, Shinoa only laughed at this.

"Who's he texting?" Mitsuba questioned, looking over to Shinoa, in which Yoichi and Kimizuki followed suit. The crazed girl only continued to smile as Yuu basically flailed his arms, warning her not to say Mika's name. "He's texting Guren," Shinoa then shrugged her shoulders, going back to eating her food. "Guren? Why were you acting so hostile over texting your dad?" The golden haired female raised a brow at Yuu, who had rolls of sweat going down his face. "Shinoa... I'm going to kill you..." Was all that the hot-headed teen said as he ignored the looks from his friends and continued eating his curry.

After his friends had stopped questioning Yuu's actions, he was finally able to text a message to Mika.

Me: Hey! Sorry for not texting earlier, what's up?

The raven haired boy sent the message, briefly staring at the screen to see if he'd get a reply. The reply did not come, but Yuu didn't worry too much about it. Mika had to have still been in school too, after all. And from what Yuu assumed, Mika was the kind of kid who followed every rule he was supposed to. Basically, Yuu assumed Mika was the ideal student, and probably wouldn't reply until the end of the school day.

 

"We should all go do karaoke!"

A short girl with curled ashen hair grinned. It was Shinoa Hiragi, who was standing outside the school gate with Yuu, Mitsuba, Yoichi, and Kimizuki. School was over, so the friends were all thinking of an activity they could do before heading home.

"Karaoke? But I'm already an idol, and it's Monday!" The idol wore a cocky grin as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Just cause you're an idol doesn't make you any better than us, Yuu." Kimizuki hissed, adjusting his glasses. "Are you saying you can sing better than me?" The black hair teen furrowed a brow, and the taller male shrugged. "See? All the more reason to go do karaoke! We can find out who the better singer is, Yuu-san or Kimizuki-san!" Shinoa opened up her arms to the sky as she twirled in a circle. Mitsuba raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we do karaoke later tonight though?" The blonde girl asked. "I guess so. What do you guys want to do first then?" Shinoa looked around at all her friends.

"Do you think we could go to that new arcade?" Yoichi piped up, and Shinoa grinned once again. "Yeah! Then I can rematch Mii-chan at that racing game." The short female glanced evilly over at the taller girl. "Tch, I won't lose." Mitsuba answered, twirling a piece of her silky hair around her finger. "What do you guys think, Yuu-kun? Kimizuki-kun?" Yoichi turned to the two males, who were still blabbing about who was a better singer. "Let's do it, then I can show Kimizuki who's better at every game in the arcade!" Yuu's frustrated face turned into a mischievous grin. "Hmph, as if," the pink haired male frowned as the brunette laughed. "Alright, then it's settled, let's go to the arcade!" Yoichi announced leading the way to the train station.

"H-hey! You cheated! I want a rematch!" Yuu shouted as he and Kimizuki battled each other in an arcade game. "Just accept that you lost, idiot." The taller male sighed and Yuu clenched his teeth. "This time I'm going to beat you!" The stubborn boy announced, restarting the arcade game.

"Hey, Shinoa! Get back here!" Mitsuba growled as her and the shorter girl played a racing game. Shinoa was currently taking the lead, and throwing all sorts of road blocks in front of Mitsuba's vehicle. "Ahaha," the ashen haired girl just laughed as Mitsuba grew more frustrated. "Agh, that's enough!" The blonde frowned, using a boost up and just barely passing Shinoa's car. "Ha!" She laughed, speeding off in front of the shorter girl. Mitsuba glanced at Shinoa from the corner of her eye, and the brown eyed girl was biting her lower lip and furrowing her brows in concentration. "I'm not gonna let you win, Mii-chan!" Shinoa suddenly called out, using a boost up to try and catch Mitsu. 

Meanwhile, while Yuu, Kimzuki, Mitsuba, and Shinoa battled each other in arcade games, Yoichi was at the rhythm games. He was furiously playing Love Live! After School Activity and full combo-ing each song. There were also a bunch of cute plushies laying at the boy's feet, that he had won from the various claw machines. 

"Hmph, Mii-chan doesn't play fair."

Shinoa pouted, sticking out her tongue as the group exited the arcade together. "You're the one who wasn't playing fair! You even reached over and started tickling me so I'd lose!" The blonde exclaimed, and Shinoa just shrugged while wearing a smug smile on her face. "Kimizuki's a cheater too. He rigged the machine or something." Yuu furrowed his brows, glaring at the taller male. "You just don't want to accept that you suck at that game." The collected teen smirked. "Screw you!" The idol shouted, and Yoichi just laughed, carrying all his plushies. 

"Should we go to karaoke now then?" Mitsuba asked, turning to look at everyone else. "Yeah, then I can show Kimizuki who's better." Yuu grinned and Shinoa giggled. "Sounds good to me, what about you, Yoichi-kun?" The ashen haired girl glanced at the cute boy. "Sounds fun!" He smiled. "Then let's go!" Shinoa announced, grabbing Mitsuba's wrist and running off toward the train station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading chapter five of "A Rival Like You..."! I hope you enjoyed! I nearly forgot to update today. I got into an accident while ice skating yesterday, so things have been chaotic haha... ANYWAYS! Thank you guys for all the positive feedback on the story so far! It means a lot!


	6. Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikaela Shindo struggles with his music, and eventually dozes off at the seat of his piano. He is then awakened by Krul, and informed of his restocked food supply. As Mikaela sits alone, he is struck with a sinister thought having to do with Yuichiro. Disgusted, Mikaela struggles to act normally. The thought only reminding him that he was truly a "monster."
> 
> Yuichiro spends time doing karaoke with his friends. As Shinoa picks out a specific song for Yuichiro to sing, he makes a small slip up that turns the heads of his friends.

Mikaela Shindo sat stiffly in front of his grand piano. He was glaring down at his music, obviously frustrated. "Why can't I think of any lyrics...? Much less a title?" He asked himself, picking up the papers in his frail hands. He remembered what Yuu had said, about lyrics coming to him when the time came, but when was that time going to come? Mika didn't have the time to just sit and wait for lyrics to show up, he had to get new songs written and released. He stared at the piece in his hands, glazing over the notes with his blue eyes. The teen then sighed, setting the piece aside and deciding on writing a different song for now. He'd take Yuu's advice and wait for the lyrics to come to him for that other song, but for now, Mika needed to write something for his next concert.

"Mika?"

A childish voice called out as the door to the music room opened. It was now night, and Krul Tepes had just gotten home from work. She peeked into the room, spotting Mika sitting at the piano. The keys had the piano cover over them, and there the angel was. His arms were folded over the cover and his head rested upon his arms. His heavenly blue eyes were closed, and he was obviously asleep. Krul smiled slightly, walking into the room as her long hair flowed freely behind her. The short girl wandered to the grand instrument and simply looked at Mika's face for a moment.

The usually sad idol actually looked very peaceful when he slept. His blond bangs rested softly over his closed eyes, his eyebrows were raised ever so slightly, and his lips were gently parted. He looked like he was happily dreaming of something he really cared about. Something that could help him escape the cruel reality he actually lived in. For a moment, Krul actually wondered what he could be dreaming about, or if he was dreaming at all. Vampires didn't require sleep, but they slept to pass time. Krul had always asked herself if Mika still required sleep, considering that he wasn't a complete vampire just yet.

Finally, the Crimson eyed female rested her small hand on Mika's shoulder, gently shaking him until his ocean eyes fluttered open. His glistening orbs looked around for a bit, examining his surroundings. He then connected his eyes with Krul's and almost immediately sat upright. "I restocked your blood supply, Mika." The pink haired girl stated as the blond just looked at her. "Also, you have a bedroom you know. Why don't you sleep in there?" She finished, smiling. "Thanks..." The idol trailed off, looking around the room. The boy still had sleep in his eyes, and was obviously still trying to figure out what happened for him to fall asleep against the piano. "If you're gonna sleep in here, at least grab yourself a blanket." Krul spoke, waving her hand as she quickly exited the room. Mika watched as she left, then turned his head to look out the window.

The sky was very dark, with heavy rain clouds hovering up above. The only light was coming from the lanterns that lined and lit every walkway outside. Mika didn't quite understand why they used lanterns, when vampires already had excellent vision, and could see just fine in the dark. It was probably just to make the scenery look nice and less suspicious to humans.

The perfect boy then turned back to the piano, looking at his music he had written earlier. He frowned at it. The song wasn't bad, but Mika had definitely rushed it. So in his own judgment, the song sucked. The teen then sighed, picking up the papers with the music written on them, and exiting the music room, turning off the light and shutting the door gently behind him. He carried the papers at his side as he traveled to the grand staircase, and downstairs to one of the many kitchens.

This was the kitchen that they most often used, just cause it had closer access to the garage and entranceway. This was the kitchen where Mika had sat with Yuu the day before. For a moment, upon entering the area, Mika glanced at the seat where Yuu had sat. He didn't know why he did, and he didn't know why he cared. There was just something about Yuu that made Mika's emotions more enhanced. He didn't understand it, but he didn't deny it either.  
  
Shrugging it off, Mika set the papers on top of the island. The blond then walked over to the pantry, opening it and looking inside. The giant pantry was loaded with dry and canned foods. Even though neither Mika or Krul ate these, Krul insisted keeping it under the circumstances of humans visiting. Mika didn't quite understand, but he didn't care either.

His blue, cat-like eyes scanned the shelves of the oversized pantry, when they finally landed on a collection of glass vials. Each vial in the collection was filled with a thick, Crimson liquid, obviously being blood. The idol picked up a single vial in his pale hand, then closed the pantry door.

The lid of the vial flipped open, and a frail hand brought the object to Mika's smooth lips. He tilted the vial slightly, and drank the all too familiar tasting blood. It was a painful taste, one that Mika had grown too accustomed to. A flavor he had tasted for years now. The flavor never changed, but it seemed to become more and more sour each time he drank it.

He felt sick for committing such a hideous crime of drinking blood. Something he knew would do nothing but turn him even more into a monster. It was disgusting. Mika wanted to toss the vial across the kitchen and throw up, but he knew he couldn't. It was necessary for him, and he knew the consequences of not drinking it. However, the idol could not help but wonder how much more refreshing it would be to drink the pure blood of a human. He'd always been told of how good it tastes, how everyone's blood tastes different depending on their personality and importance.

Suddenly, a thought flashed across Mika's mind for a brief second. A thought of Mika grabbing someone by the hair. A thought of sinking his fangs into the soft flesh of a hopeless person's throat. However, the person who appeared in Mika's mind wasn't just some random person. It was a good looking boy, with raven black hair and shimmering green eyes-

Mika gagged, stumbling forward and letting the now empty vial fall to the floor. The shatter of glass echoed throughout the kitchen, and shards flew in all directions, eventually resting peacefully on the marble ground. The blond was hunched over, one hand grasping his chest, and the other holding onto the island for support. He coughed multiple times as rolls of sweat came down his pained face. The usually perfect boy breathed heavily. His blue eyes were opened wide as he stared at the floor in nothing but pure disgust.

The teen was enraged at himself for having such a sinful thought. He wanted to beat himself up over it. He absolutely hated himself for having thoughts as foul as this. This was nothing but solid proof of Mikaela Shindo being a bloodsucking monster. It was truly sickening. Yuu wasn't food. Mika had no intentions of hurting Yuu in any particular way. Yuu was someone Mika felt something for- he wasn't entirely sure what these feelings were, but they were anything but the dreadful feelings of thirst, hunger, and desire. Yuu was someone Mika felt the need to protect- from both himself and the vile world they lived in.

Finally, as the teen took a few breaths and calmed himself down, he picked up the glass shards off the ground, disposing of them. All the while he was still mentally beating himself up over his thoughts and actions. Afterward, he grabbed his music and traveled through the over-sized home to his bedroom.

As soon as he reached the destination, he shut the door behind him and purposely fell face forward onto his luxurious bed. Most vampires, including Krul, slept in coffins for no particular reason. It was just a trend that some vampire started, and many others followed. Mika didn't really like the idea of sleeping in a coffin, so he had a king sized bed with the softest mattress imaginable.

The idol lay motionless for a few moments. His face buried into the blankets and eyes closed. It almost seemed as if he were extremely tired, when that wasn't the case at all. There's was just something comforting about laying there like that, but Mika didn't know why.

Soon enough, the blond looked up from his mattress, seeing his phone on the nightstand. He blinked his ocean eyes, before reaching up to grab it. He then rolled onto his side, bringing the phone to his face. The only notification- because Mika had turned off all his other notifications- was a text message from Yuu. The angelic boy smiled upon seeing this, as well as remembering that he completely forgot to text Yuu earlier.

Me: Sorry for replying so late! Nothing really, what about you?

The blond replied to the rival's text, suddenly wondering what Yuu might be doing at that moment. It was somewhat late now, so Mika figured he must be at home. He watched the screen for a few moments, seeing if Yuu would reply, but it didn't happen. Perhaps Yuu was sleeping, or working on music.

Mika then hit the power button on his phone, watching as the screen suddenly went black. He set the device back on the nightstand and rolled over in his bed, facing the deck and the large windows. He gazed out into the darkness with his blue eyes. He looked at the storm clouds hovering in the sky. It was not raining, but Mika could tell it would start to rain very soon.

The troubled teen then let out a sigh, moving to sit at the edge of his bed. He stared out the window again, before he stood up and walked over to grab the remote to his flatscreen TV, which hung neatly on the wall. Mika pointed the remote at the screen, then switched it on.

As much as vampires didn't care about humanity, they needed to blend in with the humans to avoid too much conflict. In result of this, they needed to keep eyes on the news and the media to keep up with what the humans were up to, and if the vampires needed to change anything to not be exposed by humanity. When the vampires were within their over-sized, gated community of Sanguinem, they were able to just wander around as vampires. However, as soon as they exited those gates, most vampires would disguise themselves as humans. Mika didn't do this though, mainly just because he was an idol. People blamed his fangs on fashion, and since he already had blue eyes, he didn't need to worry about wearing contacts.

Mika was kind of pissed that Krul didn't bother to disguise herself when introducing herself to Yuu. The blond wondered what Yuu must've thought about seeing her scarlet eyes, sharp teeth, and elf-like ears. In all honesty, Mika felt bad and embarrassed about it, he still wondered if Yuu made the gross connection of her being a vampire, but he really hoped that wasn't the case.

As the perfect boy sat on his bed and watched the TV for a while, he stood up once more. Deciding he'd pass some time taking a long shower, he walked over to his dresser and grabbed his pajamas. He then wandered over into his bathroom, shutting the door, turning on the lights, and turning on the hot water. Mika then looked at himself in his giant mirror, which took up most of the wall, and let out yet another sigh. He hated seeing himself in the mirror, it was like a constant reminder to himself that he wasn't human. It was a reminder that he was a monster.

 

"Oh oh, Yuu-San!"

Shinoa called out as the five friends sat around a table. They were all gathered, singing karaoke and eating dinner. Shinoa was scrolling through songs as she looked up at the TV, where everything was displayed.

"What is it?" Yuu responded, taking a drink from his Diet Coke. "You should sing one of Mikaela-san's songs!" She exclaimed, shooting a smile in the idol's direction. Yuu nearly spit out his drink, and everyone else at the table looked at him. "What was that reaction?" Mitsuba mumbled. Yoichi laughed nervously, and Kimizuki just let out an irritated sigh. "It's-" Yuichiro began, setting his beverage on the table. "I just hate him so much, you know? His music is crap. It'd be an insult to myself to sing one of his songs." The raven haired boy lied with confidence. However, that obviously wasn't the case at all.

Recently, Yuu had only been listening to Mika's work. Being mesmerized by his soothing voice, singing into his ear- but not quite. Mika's voice was almost hypnotic. Strong and smooth. It was beautiful. He could sing in any range and sound inhumanly perfect. Every time Yuu stuck his earbuds in and listened to his rival- it was almost like he'd fall into a trance.

"Here, sing this one, Yuu-San!" Shinoa jeered, selecting a song by Mika, and tossing the mic over to Yuu. The emerald eyed boy grabbed the mic, looking up at the screen. The song happened to be one of his favorites, but he didn't tell that to his friends. Instead, the idol let out an irritated sigh, waiting for the music to start and the lyrics to show up on the screen. However, before the lyrics came up, Yuu -as well as all his friends- took great notice of the picture that shown on the screen. The photo was a digital fanart of Mika and Yuu. The two were holding microphones and singing while intently looking at each other. Mika had glorious, white angel wings, while Yuu had demon horns and a vicious smirk.

A certain brown eyed girl burst out laughing upon seeing the photo. "That photo is all too true," Shinoa stated, grinning. "Yuu certainly acts like a demon." Mitsuba mumbled, causing Shinoa to chuckle. "You two, shut up!" The idol hissed, glancing over at the girls. "Pfffft," the shorter girl huffed, slouching back into the couch. Kimizuki once again sighed, and Yoichi just ate his dinner. Yuu looked back up at the screen, taking in a deep breath as the lyrics began to show on the screen, and he passionately sang along. All the while he unknowingly made the mistake of closing his eyes while he sang, because he already knew all the lyrics.

As soon as the song ended, Yuu opened up his eyes and looked at his friends, who were all staring at him in suspicion. "What's with that look?" The idol asked, feeling his heart start to race. "I didn't know you'd be that passionate while singing one of Mikaela-kun's songs," Yoichi spoke up, and Yuu felt himself freeze- realizing his mistake. The rest of the group nodded, and Shinoa began to giggle.

"I-it's just cause I'm an idol! I get into it, you know? Jeez! You all act like I'm secretly obsessed with that rich snob." The stubborn teen crossed his arms over his chest as he flopped back into his seat. "Uh huh, says the one who somehow knows all the lyrics to the song and can sing it with his eyes closed." Mitsuba stated, twirling a lock of her silky, golden hair around her finger. Shinoa nodded in response, all the while grinning like an idiot. "You guys are such freaks. That song is literally played everywhere. It's natural to know all the lyrics," Yuu sighed and the rest of his friends shrugged in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading chapter six of "A Rival Like You..." I hope you enjoyed! Also, my apologies for updating late. I completely spaced out!!!


	7. The Mystery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuichiro has an unsettling feeling from the information he obtained from Shinoa in earlier chapters, and is determined to find out the meaning of it.
> 
> Guren has a conversation with Yuichiro, in which he warns Yuichiro not to look into something that could bring a great amount of danger. Yuichiro, being the stubborn teen he is, ignores Guren's warning and looks for further information.

"I'm surprised it isn't raining super hard." 

Shinoa Hiragi spoke as her and Yuichiro walked home from the train station, where they had separated from the rest of the group. "Yeah, but I'm still probably going to end up soaked." Yuu mentioned, looking down at the girl with her umbrella. "Are you trying to say that you want me to share my umbrella?" The girl looked up at him, smirking. "What? No, I don't care." The idol grunted, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Fine, if you insist, Mr. 'I'm in love with Mikaela Shindo', I'll share my umbrella with you." Shinoa said, ignoring the words Yuu had just spoken. "I don't love Mika!!!" He snapped, but the female just nudged him, forcing him to grab and hold the umbrella over the two of them. 

"See you tomorrow," Yuu waved to Shinoa as he stood at the gate to her house, watching until she disappeared into the building. As soon as the girl shut the door behind her, Yuu turned and began the journey back to his house, which wasn't too far from Shinoa's. The idol stared down at the wet ground, trying to keep the rain from getting in his eyes. Shinoa had taken her umbrella, so now Yuu had nothing but his school bag to shield him from the unwanted cold shower.

As the idol continued to walk to his house, he couldn't help but think about Mika again. It wasn't out of obsession, but out of curiosity. Yuu understood that he had been thinking an awful lot about the blond rival recently, but it was because he was trying to figure something out. What was it exactly? Yuu wasn't too sure. However, something about that perfect blond seemed a bit too suspicious. Especially with the whole vampire, Mahiru, crap Shinoa had told him about. Surely there had to be a reason behind all of that, right? Even if the ashen haired girl said she was joking, Yuu couldn't shake the nagging feeling he had. Of course, Yuu didn't believe in vampires or any mythical creature of the sort, but there was still something suspicious about it, and that was what Yuu was trying to figure out.

"Sayuri made some curry for you, Yuu," Guren Ichinose announced as Yuu walked into the house. "Did they come over for dinner?" The damp idol asked, and Guren nodded slightly. "I already ate with my friends, but I'll have some after I shower." The green eyed boy said, making his way up the stairs. "Be sure to come back down when you're done, I need to talk to you." The black haired man stated, in which Yuu nodded in response. He then finished his walk up the stairs and entered his bedroom.

The moment Yuu shut his bedroom door behind him, he retrieved his phone from his pocket- seeing that Mika had texted him. The idol frowned a bit, upset at himself for not replying to the blond earlier. He then opened the message, and started to type his reply.

Me: Now I'm sorry for replying so late XD I just got home from hanging out with my friends haha

Yuu pressed send, and was about to hit the power button until a message from Mika suddenly appeared.

Mika: It's nothing to worry about!

The black haired boy was slightly surprised at the immediate reply, but it made him happy.

Me: Lol, so what are you doing?

Mika: I just took a shower. That's about it, and you?

Me: I was just going to go take a shower XD And eat some extra dinner. I'll have to exercise tomorrow before I end up out-of-shape XD

Mika: I know how you feel. Well, I'll leave you to it, Yuu-chan! 

Me: Alright :) I'll talk to you tomorrow then?

Mika: Yeah! And let me know when you arrive at the train station, I'll come meet you.

Me: Okay! See you then!

Mika: See you.

Yuu smiled before he shut his phone off, then plugged it into the charger. He set the device on his nightstand then wandered off to take a long and hot shower.

 

"So, what'd you wanna talk about?" 

Yuichiro asked, walking down the stairs. He was in his pajamas and ruffling his hair with a towel. Guren looked up from his laptop, and waited for Yuu to sit at the kitchen table before he replied. "Shinoa told me you were trying to to gather information on her sister," the man spoke, and Yuu's emerald eyes widened slightly. Part of him immediately felt angry that Shinoa had told Guren. However, the more Yuu thought about it, the more he realized that Shinoa had only told Guren about Mahiru, not Mika. 

"So what if I am?" Yuu said, getting up and going to grab some of the curry that Sayuri had made. "Why? You've never been interested with anything having to do with the Hiragi family..." The amethyst eyed man trailed off. "I found something... That might have to do with Mahiru. That's why I'm interested as to what she did and what she was involved in. Shinoa told me that you and Mahiru were close, and that she had some kind of obsession with you?" The idol explained, heating up the curry. "Idiot Yuu, it's not smart for you to get involved with any of this. Just leave it alone, it's none of your business. Whatever you found, just forget about it," Guren's voice was sharp as he spoke. "Mahiru is dead. She's been dead. So forget about it," he finished with a sigh. Yuu turned to glare at his father figure. "Why are you so protective about it?" The teen asked, sitting back down at the table and eating his second dinner. 

"Mahiru was involved with some bad stuff. She did horrible things. So if you found anything that has to do with her, I recommend you leave it alone. The last thing I'd want is some idiot kid to get involved with her, even if she's dead. Her work still lingers as if she were still alive, and it's dangerous to get involved, especially when it's some famous kid." Guren explained. His voice was still sharp, and his eyes were narrowed as they focused on the boy sitting across the table. Yuu looked to his side for a moment, while his mouth was stuffed with curry. This conversation did nothing but make Yuu more curious. Surely Guren had to know that Yuu wasn't going to listen to him, and was going to continue looking into what this mysterious woman did in her work. Yuu was known for his stubbornness, after all. His undying will to never give up, despite what anyone told him. 

"Tell Sayuri that I said 'Thanks.'" Yuu suddenly spoke, after quickly eating his small bowl of curry. He stood up and went to wash his dish, all the while feeling Guren's eyes borrowing through him. Not a word was said between the two of them as Yuu cleaned and put away his dish. Guren just watched Yuu the entire time, and there was some kind of tension between them. The idol admitted to himself that he hated it. Yuu loved Guren, and honestly felt kind of bad for disobeying him like this, especially with the thought that he could be getting himself into a lot of danger. However, Yuu was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. After finding that fanart of him and Mika, he couldn't shake the slightly disturbing feeling that he had, which was his source for disobeying Guren.

Soon enough, without another word between the two, Yuu made his way back to his bedroom. He shut the door behind him, and glanced down at his book bag. That was when the black haired boy remembered the book he had taken from the library. Yuu then knelt down, grabbing and opening his book bag. He picked up the book and glanced at the title which read, "Study of Vampires." Part of the idol felt absolutely ridiculous for looking at a book about some creature that didn't exist. He didn't know why he had grabbed the book off the shelf in the first place. Was he actually concerned that Mika- of all people- could be a vampire? The thought itself made Yuu cringe. Sure, there was a lot of mysterious stuff about the blond, but Yuu was being pathetic. Worried that his rival was actually a non-existent fantasy creature, when they hardly even knew each other? Talk about idiotic.

Even though, Yuichiro still had that feeling. That disturbing feeling that he first felt when Shinoa asked him about vampires after he'd seen that fanart- in which he was beginning to believe was drawn by her sister. Suddenly, without another thought, the stubborn teen opened the book and began reading, despite the late hour. His forest green eyes scanned the pages thoroughly, reading every sentence and examining every photo.

"Vampires are mysterious creatures whom most people do not believe exist. They are creatures who were first heard of from folk tales. Creatures who roam in the night and feed on the blood of humans. However, I assure that these bloodsucking creatures are very real. They come from ancient times, and are said to roam the earth even today. 

Vampires are night dwelling creatures, who will burn in the sunshine. Thus, they will never come outside in the broad daylight. They sleep in coffins throughout the day, and hunt for food as soon as the sun goes down. They have sharp fangs, blood red eyes, snow white skin, clawed hands, and pointed ears. 

They are powerful creatures, built to prey upon humanity. The only desire they have is the thirst for blood. Human blood. They will do anything if it means they will get to drink. They'll kill, they'll tear humans apart. Vampires are nasty creatures who are messy and play with their food. They'll torture people in vicious ways. They eat nothing but blood. If a vampire were to have anything beside blood, it would cause them to fall deathly ill, and possibly die.

Vampires are monsters who were never once human. They prey upon us, hunt us. They show no mercy to anyone or anything. They have no heart. They never age, and are immortal in the darkness. The following page tells of a true story from someone who had a real encounter with one of these monsters, and came forth to share their horrifying experience."

Yuichiro turned the page.

"It was a hot summer night and a man had just finished working a long day at his farm in America. The sun had gone down, and the man was still putting stuff away, preparing them for the following day. He was alone in his fields, or so he thought.

As the man shut and locked his barn behind him, he began to walk through his field back to his house, when he noticed something. In the distance, he could see someone walking through his field. The person appeared to be very small,so the man called out to them, thinking they were a child messing in his fields. The figure suddenly snapped their head in the man's direction and within the blink of an eye, the person appeared inches away from the man.

It was a girl, who was very short. She had crimson red eyes, pointed ears, deadly claws and extremely sharp fangs. Before the man could say anything to the girl, she grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air, as if he weighed nothing. She then suddenly brought those blinding fangs to his throat, and eagerly bit in, quickly draining the blood from the man.

"It was terrifying," the man says. "I could feel the life being sucked out of me, but there was something even more bizarre about it. The feeling was like a bit of pain, mixed with some kind of pleasure," he explains. "Very quickly, I could feel myself growing weaker and weaker, but I couldn't fight back. This little girl was much stronger than me, there was nothing I could do but accept my fate. My vision began to fade, but before I lost consciousness, the girl suddenly dropped me and ran off. It was like something scared her. The next time I opened my eyes, I was in the hospital and my family was surrounding me. I had two puncture holes in my throat, as proof of where those unearthly teeth bit into me..."

Yuu let out a yawn, setting the book down. He felt better, now sure with himself that Mika was not a vampire. Mika was nothing like what was described in the book. If vampires were real, Yuu would've been dead the moment he first encountered Mika. However, there was still an unsettling feeling that lingered, and Yuu was determine to figure it out. 

The idol then turned, glancing at his clock which was on top of his head board. The time was 1:00 AM. The teen silently cursed at himself for staying up this late on a school night, especially when he had stayed up for such a ridiculous reason. The boy placed the book into his school bag, planning to return it the following day. He then turned off the light and crawled into his bed, quickly falling asleep.

 

"Do you think you can tell me more about your sister?" The onyx haired idol questioned as he and Shinoa walked to the train station, on the way to school. This time, Yuu had brought his own umbrella, and held it above his head. "Didn't Guren tell you anything?" Shinoa glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "He got really protective over it for some reason, telling me not to get involved," Yuu explained, and Shinoa bit her lip.

"Yuu-san, what exactly did you see that might have to do with Mahiru?" The ashen haired girl asked, turning her head to look up at the boy. Yuu let out a sigh, before he hesitantly replied, "When I went to the idol shop on Sunday, there was a fanart of Mika and me. The art by itself was suspicious, but the signature said, 'Mahiru.' Ever since then, I've had this really bothersome feeling that I can't get rid of," the green eyed male stated, and Shinoa suddenly slowed her pace. Yuu turned, looking down at her. "What's wrong?" He asked. "Yuu-san," she began, her brown eyes stared intently at the wet sidewalk. "Yeah...?" He frowned a bit, concerned. "Do you think you can take me there? I'd like to see and confirm this for myself," she finally said, and Yuu paused. "I guess..." He trailed off, turning his gaze to look down the road.

"Let's go after school then," Shinoa said, and the idol stiffened. "I can't go after school..." The boy announced, and Shinoa looked up at him. "Why not? Do you have an interview or something?" The girl questioned. "N-no...." Yuu stuttered, and Shinoa suddenly grinned. "Oh, don't tell me. Do you have a date with your beloved Mikaela-san?" She batted her eyes, and Yuu furrowed his brows, looking away from her. "It's not a date!!! He's just giving me piano lessons... And he's not my beloved!" The stubborn teen shouted, and Shinoa laughed, beginning to run down the sidewalk as Yuu chased after her, waving around his umbrella like the idiot he was at heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading chapter seven of "A Rival Like You..."! The story is finally starting to build, and will only get better with each upcoming chapter! I hope you've enjoyed the story so far and choose to keep reading!


	8. Suspicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuichiro and Shinoa miss school to start searching for information. The duo sets out to find the suspicious artwork, to confirm whether or not it was drawn by Shinoa's older sister. However, upon searching, they run into some issues that cause even more problems, as well as more questions as to just what the heck is really going on.

"Drinking so much of that crap is going to kill you," Shinoa Hiragi said, motioning to the Diet Coke Yuu was drinking. The two were sitting in a cafe, missing school as they waited for the idol shop to open, for it was still early in the morning. Yuu just glared at her from across the table. "You know that stuff is worse than normal Coke, right?" She asked, blinking her brown eyes. "Yeah yeah, I know. You don't think I've been told that a million times already?" The idol sighed, and Shinoa grinned. "Then how come you inhale Diet Coke like your life depends on it?" She laughed, and Yuu sighed once more, irritated.

Yuichiro turned his head, looking out the large glass window he and Shinoa were sitting by. There were people rushing around with their umbrellas, making their way to work. He then glanced back at the girl, seeing that she was on her rose gold iPhone. "Did you tell the group that we won't be at school today?" He asked, and Shinoa looked up at him, nodding her head. "Yoichi-san says that we should include them sometime," she laughed and Yuu smiled. "We would've if they lived closer to us," the boy mentioned, and Shinoa let out a breathless laugh. "Honestly though, Yuu-san. You miss a lot of school, being an idol." The female changed the subject, and Yuu blinked his forest green eyes. "I know, I really do, and it's great because school sucks," he laughed and Shinoa smiled. "Speaking of, you need to update me with your schedule. I need to know what pace I need to be making your costumes at," Shinoa informed, and Yuu proceeded to explain.

"Have you even written any new songs? I feel like you've been so obsessed with your new boyfriend lately," Shinoa teased after he finished telling her his schedule. Yuu furrowed his brows at this. "Of course I have! And he is NOT my boyfriend!" He pretty much shouted, which turned the heads of other people inside the cafe. Shinoa then giggled. "Be careful, Yuu-San. Don't start rumors that you're a homosexual, you'll break your fangirls' hearts." She laughed, and Yuu grit his teeth. "I don't know why I put up with you," he mumbled and the girl smirked. "You've put up with me for quite a while now, so don't complain," Shinoa mentioned, and the idol just face-palmed.

Soon enough, the idol reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, unlocking it and scrolling through his social media. He then logged into his Instagram, and looked through a few of his notifications, one of which caught his eye. There was a notification from not long ago which read, "Mikaelashindo started following you." Yuu looked, seeing that there was a blue check mark next username, confirming that it was indeed Mika. The black haired teen smiled a bit at this, then tapped on Mika's icon, which redirected him to Mika's Instagram page. 

Mika's profile photo was a picture of him in a music studio. His wavy blond hair was tied back into a little ponytail, but still somehow hid his ears. He was leaning over a table, working on music. Yuu smiled once more, thinking that one of the studio workers took the picture. The forest green eyed teen then hit the "Follow" button seeing that the blond had over 15 million followers. He proceeded to scroll through Mika's page.

"What're you smiling at?" Shinoa's voice pulled the idol from his thoughts, and he looked up from his phone. Shinoa was wearing a familiar smug grin on her face, as if she already knew and was about to make a dumb joke. "You already know, don't you?" He grunted, putting his phone away and leaning back in his seat. "You're going to start rumors, Yuu-San," the short girl shook her head, as if she were disappointed. "Honestly though, Shinoa. There's probably already rumors as it is. Have you seen the kind of world we live in? And what fangirls are into?" He sighed, glancing out the window once again, and Shinoa let out a small laugh. "I get what you mean," she replied, following his gaze. "I'm surprised that you're not angry about it." She finished, and Yuu looked back at her for a moment. "Of course I'm upset about it, but there's not much I can do. So I just don't pay attention to it," the boy said, and Shinoa nodded her head.

"What time did you say the shop opened?" The female questioned as the two left the cafe. "10:30," Yuu replied, opening up his umbrella. "What time is it now?" Shinoa asked another question, and the boy pulled out his phone to check the time. "It's 10:02 right now," he answered as the two walked. "The shop isn't far from here, and we still have some time. Do you want to go to the bookstore?" Yuu then asked, looking around as people walked by. "Sure, why not?" The girl said, quickening her pace so she was now walking in front of the idol. The male sighed, but followed her as she lead the way to the bookstore.

"I'll be in the magazine section," Shinoa commented as they entered the bookstore. "Alright, let's meet back right here at 10:25, okay?" Yuu said, and Shinoa nodded, before turning and walking away. The boy then turned, looking around the store. He then walked to the section where he'd find books about vampires- wait, why was he doing that? Didn't he already decide that Mika wasn't some stupid, non-existent creature? Why was he still looking into something so stupid? 

The teen cursed at himself. He blamed Shinoa for his reading about vampires. It was truly ridiculous, and such a waste of time, but then again, what else did Yuu have to look at? He never read books unless it was for his own benefit. Then it hit him, Yuu could look at piano books. Then he might be able to impress Mika by gaining more knowledge, right? The idiotic idol grinned, walking toward the music section of the bookstore. 

"What'd you buy?" Yuu's sisterly figure asked after they met up and left the bookstore. "Some booklets about piano," he answered, and Shinoa laughed. "What's so funny?" The boy furrowed his brows slightly. "Oh, nothing Yuu-san, just that it's obvious you're trying to impress Mikaela-san," she laughed once more, and Yuu grunted. "Shut up..." He mumbled, and the girl smirked, nudging him in the side. "You're awfully suspicious, Yuu-san. Could it be that you're actually developing feelings for him? Are you going to kiss him when you see him again?" "That's not why I'm trying to impress him! I don't have any feelings like that for him!" "Ahaha, keep telling yourself that, Yuu-san!" Shinoa continued to laugh, again quickening her pace to be ahead of the male. "Last one to the shop has to buy lunch!" She announced, and Yuu grit his teeth. "Then you'd better make sure you brought enough money to pay for a big meal," the idol smiled viciously, running after her.

 

 

"It's gone..." 

Yuichiro's emerald eyes were widened as he stared at the empty space on the shelf. He and Shinoa were at the idol shop, after it had opened. They were standing at the spot where Yuu had first come across that picture- but now it was gone. 

"Who would've bought it within the day I wasn't here?" Yuu questioned, an agitated tone to his voice. "It's okay, Yuu-san..." Shinoa's voice trailed off, and the idol looked at her. "But how will we know if it was actually drawn by your sister?" He asked, and the shorter girl looked at him. "I believe that the art piece you saw was done by her," she answered, bluntly. The black haired male raised an eyebrow at her. "How can you be so sure?" He continued to ask questions, and Shinoa looked back to the shelf. "We should try asking the cashier of what happened to it. Maybe they took it off the shelf, rather than someone buying it." She stated, then looked back at the taller boy. "Good idea," Yuu agreed, before turning and walking to where the only person working was while Shinoa followed.

"Do you know anything about a fanart of a vampire Mikaela drinking Yuichiro's blood?" Shinoa sharply asked the cashier as soon as they arrived at the counter, which surprised both the worker and the idol. Yuu turned his head a bit, trying to hide his now blushing face. It took a minute before the woman working replied, for she was still slightly surprised. "Yes... I do actually," she answered, and Yuu let out a small sigh of relief. "What happened to it?" The ashen haired teen questioned, narrowing her brown eyes. The woman paused for a bit, glancing at Yuichiro before she looked back to Shinoa. "Why do you ask?" The cashier said. "It's important, but private. So would you tell us?" Yuu interrupted, and the older woman's eyes widened slightly.

"The piece was purchased almost immediately after you left on Sunday, Yuichiro." The woman finally admitted. "By who? Do you remember anything about the person who bought it?" Shinoa's voice was almost intimidating, and even though Yuu had known her for so long, this side of her still managed to surprise him. "I'm not sure if I should be giving out that kind of information.." The cashier trailed. "That piece of art was done by someone I know, and the art was of Yuichiro. So, if you ask me, we have the right to know," the short girl pushed. Her hands were gripping the side of the counter as she leaned forward. The older woman then let out a sigh of defeat, most likely from feeling intimidated by someone smaller than her. 

"It was purchased by a good looking man. He was tall, had neat black hair, and narrow eyes. He looked to be about in his early twenties." The cashier finally explained, and Yuu bit his lip in concern. Could that person have possibly been Guren? Guren had been really protective over the situation, but could he have been involved? That couldn't be possible though. Why would Guren go out of his way to buy that? To hide it from Yuu? Or to get rid of it, so that Yuu couldn't look further into it? Then again, how could Guren have known that Yuu had seen it there at that time? The idol would have also definitely recognized his father figure walking into the store after Yuu left. Guren was also working at the time, so that couldn't have been the case, right? Even so, the stubborn teen was still worried.

"That doesn't really help. Did he tell you his name? Or anything like that? Was he Japanese?" Shinoa continued, and the idol watched. "He looked to be almost European," she replied, and Yuu sighed in relief once again. That statement itself ruled out the thought of Guren being a suspect. "Is that it? Do you remember anything else?" The boy spoke up, and the woman looked back at him, before shaking her head apologetically. "I get a lot of customers throughout the day, I'm sorry that I can't remember them all." She explained. Shinoa opened her mouth to say something, but Yuu quickly cut her off before she could. "That's alright, thank you for your help," he said, smiling. The green eyed teen then turned, exiting the store.

Yuichiro stood outside the store, holding his umbrella above his head as he waited for his sister figure, who was still inside. Then, not a minute later, the short girl exited the store, with an irritated look on her porcelain-like face. "What's wrong?" The male asked as Shinoa opened up her umbrella. "Someone bought that exact piece of art right after you left on Sunday, Yuu-San. Doesn't that seem suspicious?" She spoke, and Yuu looked down at her. "Of course it does-" Shinoa cut him off. "The woman told me that a man with long silver hair gave it to her just the day before you saw it. Then that man with black hair bought it almost immediately after you left. Isn't that strange? I feel like maybe they planned for you to see it..." She explained. "The woman also said that they were both European looking." The girl continued, and Yuu's emerald eyes widened. "What is that supposed to mean?" He questioned, and Shinoa looked up at him. "I'm not too sure as of right now... But," she paused for a moment. "I have a bad feeling about this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading chapter 8 of "A Rival Like You..."! I hope you enjoyed! Also, for those of you readers who are not aware- updates have slowed down because the story has caught up to where I'm still writing. However, I will still try to update the story ASAP! Thank you for reading this far! I hope you stay tuned!


	9. Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuichiro starts to grow cautious over the thought of being spied on. He and Shinoa agree to begin searching for any kind of information that can help them solve the situation, and Yuichiro also agrees to question Mikaela. However, upon searching, Yuichiro comes across a lot more than what he originally anticipated. Turns out this entire thing is a lot darker than he thought...

"Do you think Shinya could give us some information on it?" Yuichiro Amane asked as he and Shinoa walked around the same park they had a few days earlier. "He might react the same way Guren did, so I'm not sure if we can go to him," the girl replied, kicking a stone into the now flooding stream. "Shinya's a lot more laid back than Guren is, we can trust that he won't tell Guren about it either, right?" The emerald eyed boy said, watching as the stone splashed into the water. "Guren's really close with his group of friends, I'm not so sure Shinya would keep a secret from him if some kids just simply asked him not to." Shinoa mentioned, and Yuu frowned. "There's gotta be someone we can go to. Someone has to know something," the idol mumbled, staring at the ground. "The only person I can think of who would know is Guren, but he really doesn't want us to get involved...." The boy trailed off, and Shinoa looked up at him. "Why don't you ask if Mikaela-San knows anything? He was in that fanart too,"  
"I don't know...."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I can try...."  
"Good. Ask if he knows anything about it, and I'll try to gather information too."

Yuu then pulled his cell phone out from his pocket, checking the time. "I have an idea," he said, then looked at the shorter girl. "What is it?" She asked. "Since Guren's at work, I could try to find something in his office," the black haired teen spoke, and Shinoa's eyes widened. "That's risky.... Guren would know if anyone had been in his office." The girl looked back down at the ground. "I know... But I'll be careful. You should see if you can find anything in Shinya's office." Yuu grinned. "Alright.. Fine, but we have to be super careful. They're like secret agents, so they'd know if we were to make one wrong move." The ashen haired girl explained, and the boy nodded. "Well, we should hurry before school ends and you have to go see your boyfriend. Also before Guren and Shinya could come home." Shinoa smiled, and Yuu frowned. "For the last time... He is NOT my boyfriend!!!" He protested, and Shinoa just laughed as they began walking back to the train station.

"Yuu-san,"

Shinoa spoke as they stood at the train station, waiting for the train to arrive. 

"What is it?" Yuu turned his head, looking at her. "We need to be careful. There's a chance those European men could be spying on you." She whispered, and the boy's vibrant eyes widened. "That's a joke, right?" He laughed somewhat nervously, until Shinoa looked up at him. "No, it's not. Considering how close the timing was to when you saw that artwork, it's very possible they could be keeping eyes on you." The ashen haired girl stated, and Yuu shivered. Shinoa turned her gaze away from him, and stared at the train tracks, all while the idol was now looking around, trying to see if anyone suspicious was lurking. Unfortunately, they were the only two waiting for the train at the moment, and nobody around seemed to be suspicious at all. The boy then hesitantly turned his gaze back to the tracks, just as the train happened to arrive.

As the two sat on the train in silence, Yuu once again pulled out his phone, going to text Mika.

Me: Do you mind if I show up a bit earlier than expected..? I didn't go to school today, so I have time.

He pressed send, then stared at the screen for a bit. The idol then glanced at Shinoa from the corner of his eye, who of which was looking down at his phone and grinning. Without saying anything, Yuu immediately shoved the device back into his pocket, and Shinoa let out a barely audible giggle. 

The rest of the ride to their desired stop was quiet. The raven haired boy gazed out the window, seeing the grey sky. Even though a grey sky was considered "dull", there was something about it that seemed comforting to Yuu, at that particular moment. He was eager to gain more information, but was also starting to become somewhat aware of just what kind of danger he could possibly be getting himself, Mika, and Shinoa into. Perhaps Guren was right, and Yuu should keep his nose out of it. Curiosity killed the cat, after all.

"Text me if you find anything, okay?" The determined teen spoke as he and Shinoa stood outside of her and Shinya's house. "Same to you," she answered, unlocking the gate and stepping inside the property. "Don't forget to ask Mikaela-san if he knows anything. Any information he might have could be important," she added, shutting the gate, separating her from Yuu. "Gotcha'," the boy smiled, turning and walking off down the sidewalk, making the rest of the way to his house.

The boy entered the house quietly, cautiously looking around and shouting, "I'm back," to make sure Guren wasn't around to reply. And to his relief, he got no "Welcome back." Yuu then removed his shoes, set his umbrella against the wall, and crept down the hall to where Guren's office was located. Guren's office was located behind two French doors, and to Yuu's horror, they were locked. 

The idol cursed himself under his breath, as he gently shook the door handle, to which it would not give way. Of course, Yuu should've known that Guren would have kept his office locked. Guren was also the kind of person who would carry his key with him. The teen let out a troubled sigh, before turning around to look for any other options. Perhaps there was a spare key in Guren's bedroom? Yuu wasn't really willing to raid Guren's room for a key, though. Then the thought hit him, he could use a paper clip!

Yuichiro then quickly sprinted up the stairwell to his bedroom. He threw open the door and ran over to his desk, ripping open the drawer and grabbing a paper clip. He then turned and attempted to run back down the stairs- but ended up falling and rolling down them instead. 

After a few wasted minutes of Yuu laying on the ground groaning over a small amount of pain, he jumped up and ran to the office doors, as if he hadn't just fallen down the stairs at all. He then bent down, unfolding the paper clip and sticking it into the lock. He wiggled the piece of metal around a bit, until he heard a click. The childish boy then jumped in a victory pose while shouting, "YES!" Before he turned his attention back to the door. Yuu shoved the distorted paper clip into his pocket, then proceeded to open the door into the office.

The room was dark, and Yuu flipped on the lamps. There was a fancy desk with a computer, a calendar, a few books, and some neatly organized papers. Behind the desk was a cushioned office chair and a filing cabinet. Beneath the desk was nice rug, and around the room were some bookshelves. The office had a window of the front yard, and the sky was still grey and dark. In a corner of the room was fake plant, and there was even a record player. Yuu never remembered Guren's office being this fancy, but then again, Yuu never really paid attention to what was actually in the office. The only other times he'd been in this room was to talk to his father figure, not snoop around.

Finally, after looking around a bit, Yuu began searching. He walked over to a bookshelf, and began scanning the shelves for anything with information that might help. It took him a while, but he came across an old fashioned book about none other than vampires. Yuu's green eyes widened as he saw the book, but for some reason, he didn't grab it. He was afraid of moving anything around in case he were to misplace something and Guren would notice. So instead, Yuu just made a mental note to himself that Guren had something like this in his office. Next, the snooping teen walked over to the desk, and looked at the calendar.

June 5: Work meeting

June 8: Dinner with colleagues

June 12: Yuichiro concert at 20:00

Yuu stepped back from the desk, blinking his emerald eyes a bit. Why had Guren written down the date of Yuu's latest concert? Where he had run into Mika? Surely Guren didn't attend Yuu's concerts... He was always busy. Did he ever watch them live on the T.V.? Yuichiro didn't know, but it surprised him. He then looked back at the calendar, seeing that dates were written down for past and future concerts too. Part of this actually made the idol happy. He never knew that Guren had been paying attention to Yuu's concerts. He always just figured that Guren was either too busy or just not interested...

Yuichiro shook his head. Now wasn't the time to get emotional over the fact that Guren might actually care. Yuu needed to focus. He looked over the calendar again, checking to see if there was anything else.... Then, he saw it.

July 26: Mahiru's birthday

Why would Guren write that for someone who was dead and potentially extremely dangerous? Was this "Mahiru" someone that Guren actually really cared about? No way... Yuu was sure that Guren was in a relationship with Shinya, so why would Guren have the date written down? The teen had only heard bad things about Mahiru, and how she'd done horrible things. However, there was also the mention Mahiru happened to be "obsessed" with Guren. Perhaps they had some kind of history together?

Yuu turned around, looking at some of the smaller bookcases lining part of the room. On the top of these bookcases, aside from more paper work, were a few framed photos. The onyx haired boy looked over these pictures, seeing that most of them were pictures of Guren and his friends when they were still in high school. There was even a picture of Yuu and Shinoa when they were around eleven and twelve. Shinoa was smiling while wearing a princess crown and placing a flower crown on Yuu's head. Yuu looked angry and ready to send a fist flying at her. The idol smiled, remembering the whole event, and how Shinya had been laughing while taking the picture, and Guren was scolding Yuu not to punch a girl. He then turned his head, and noticed that nearly hidden behind another framed picture, was a small photograph.

The photograph was also in a frame, but the glass was broken, and it looked old and worn. The picture was of two kids. One of them was a pretty girl with long ashen hair, and porcelain-like skin. She looked like Shinoa, but had straight hair rather than Shinoa's curly hair. The other kid was obviously Guren, with short black hair and amethyst eyes. 

Yuu examined the picture closely. Could that girl be Mahiru? It was possible, but Shinoa did also have lots of siblings. However, considering the type of situation this was- for now, Yuu was just going to assume that this girl was Mahiru. Therefore, if this girl really were Mahiru, that definitely meant that she had some kind of relationship with Guren in the past. Maybe she always like him? Then lost her crap when she found out Guren was with Shinya? No.... Even with the information Yuu did have about this girl, that theory seemed to be too much. If what Mahiru did was really as horrible as Yuu thought it was, then the reason couldn't be something as simple as being jealous.. Could it? 

The idol took a step back, putting his hand over his eyes as he sighed. There was so much to think about. None of this was going to be anything simple. Yuu had so many questions, but he didn't know how to find answers. Who were the European men? How were they involved with Mahiru? Who was Mahiru working with, in which she was able to obtain so much knowledge? How was she able to predict Mika and Yuu becoming idols and coming in contact with each other? Why was Yuu possibly being spied on? Was Mika being spied on too? Why was Mahiru so important to Guren? None of this made sense, and it gave the immature teen a headache. 

Then, Yuu heard a noise. He jumped, and immediately sprinted out from the room, in fear of Guren having arrived. However, that wasn't the case. As soon as the teen was outside of the office, he realized that the noise was coming from his phone, which had fallen out from his pocket when he fell down the stairs. The device was laying on the wood floor, vibrating as he was getting a call from Shinoa.

The boy let out a deep sigh of relief, before he scrambled to answer the phone before it sent Shinoa to voicemail. 

"Shinoa? Did you find anything?" Yuichiro immediately asked upon answering the phone. "Lots of things... Actually... What about you?" Her voice came from the other end of the line. "I've found some interesting things too... You go first," the idol sat down on the stairs, waiting for his sisterly figure to start talking.

"I found some sort of diary... I guess? Not really though. Shinya doesn't keep a diary, but he- or someone- typed this on a paper," the girl inhaled a breath before she began. "'Mahiru Hiragi was engaged to Shinya Hiragi. However, Mahiru was into some crazy stuff. There were times she would just randomly disappear, and nobody would know what happened to her. That is... Until she contacted Guren Ichinose.'" Shinoa quoted. "That's all the paper says. I've been looking to see if I could find anything that went along with it, but I can't." She explained. "Wait... Shinoa, did you know any of this?" Yuu questioned. "Well of course... I knew Mahiru was Shinya's fiancé, but it wasn't by will. Mahiru never loved him. She was always obsessed with Guren. I never knew what happened to Mahiru after she disappeared though, I had no idea she kept contact with Guren-"  
"Shinoa. Do you know what kind of relationship Guren and Mahiru had? Also, did Mahiru have long, straight, ashen hair?"  
"Yeah... That's what she looked like... And Guren loved Mahiru. He and Mahiru were really close when they were kids. From what I know, they got separated and that was when Mahiru began to dig into the unspeakable. By the time she and Guren reunited in high school, Mahiru had turned into a monster and wanted Guren to 'save her.' Guren was still in love with the girl he once knew her as, and tried everything he could to help her, but she only got worse and Guren was forced to kill her in the end. That's about all I know, though, Yuu-san. Mahiru and I..... Weren't close. Although... I'd assume that Guren blames himself for it, and that he still wishes he could've saved the Mahiru he fell in love with as a child- but I'm in no position to assume..."  
"I think you're right... Shinoa. Guren has Mahiru's birthday written down on his calendar, even though she's dead. Also, I guess that means Guren's the one who's going to have all the information... Considering she kept in contact with him up until she died. Poor Guren.... I never knew he was forced to kill someone..."  
"Try to see if you can find anything else. Maybe anything about who Mahiru was working with or what kind of stuff she was doing to turn herself into a monster, and why. I'll try to keep looking around too. I'm not sure if Shinya-san will have anything as useful, but it won't hurt to check."  
"Okay, I'll call again if I find anything else."  
"Okay,"

Yuu hung up, then let out another sigh. He laid back against the stairs and stared up at the ceiling. He didn't want to go back into Guren's office to keep snooping. All the information Shinoa had just told him was a little too much to take in all at once. Yuu felt like he needed some time to think about it before he acted on it. The teen then lifted his head, looking back at his phone, only to see that Mika had texted him back.

Mika: Sure, you can come down any time you'd like. Just let me know when you almost get to the station so that I can meet you there.

The troubled teen stared at the message, then smiled. He didn't know why, but he needed that text. Something about Mika at this moment just seemed to calm Yuu's nerves. He felt relieved, then texted back.

Me: Alright, I'm on my way there then! I'll text you when I'm close :)

Yuu then stood up, putting his phone into his pocket. He then walked over to Guren's office, turning off the lamps, and closing and locking the door. Finally, the idol made his way to the front door, putting on his shoes and grabbing his umbrella before he set out to go visit Mika once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading chapter 9 of, "A Rival Like You..."! I hope you enjoyed! Also, please don't worry as this fanfiction IS a MikaYuu fanfiction. So even though there's a lot going on, the story isn't straying away from the original objective! 
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you stay tuned for the next chapter, as the story only gets better!


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